Cheers were heard all around on Friday, November 15th as the San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) and the San Antonio River Foundation (River Foundation) celebrated their hardworking volunteers at the Annual Volunteer Appreciation Event. Over 120 dedicated River Warrior volunteers, committee members, and corporate partners showed up to be honored and recognized for their efforts in supporting the mission and vision of both the River Foundation and the River Authority.
The event took place at the Texas Public Radio Headquarters adjacent to San Pedro Creek Culture Park.
Among those recognized were the winners of this year’s Earth Month Litter Challenge. The winner of the corporate category, Allied Fire Protection, received a Litter Trophy constructed by local artist Gary Sweeney. This extraordinary creation featured a fish made of litter complete with golf ball eyes, work glove fins, and a mini broom tail.
Gary Sweeney’s Litter Trophy
For this year’s awards ceremony, the River Authority and River Foundation partnered with a new entity, Studying Mindful Arts Resources Together, or SMART, to challenge students at Briscoe Academy to create litter trophies for our two nonprofit category winners. SMART is a local nonprofit owned and operated by Yvette and Andy Benavides, who are expressing their passion for art education for youth. Andy and Yvette worked with 4th and 5th grade students at Briscoe Elementary School to craft four Litter Trophies to be gifted at the Volunteer Appreciation Event.
One of the many creative student trophies from SMART!
The most hardworking, dedicated River Warriors and community members were also recognized for going above-and-beyond in their favorite ways to volunteer, earning the title of Champion.
2024 River Warrior Champions
- Martina Flores—River Clean Up Champion
- Robert Gonzales—River Clean Up Champion
- Rachel Cywinski—Community Science Champion
- Frank Lang—Community Science Champion
- Brad Lehman—Apple Snail Removal Champion
- Mel Rangel—Apple Snail Removal Champion
- Barbara Merrill—Apple Snail Removal Champion
- Bob Morris—Docent Champion
- Karen Wilson—Docent Champion
- Peter Hernandez—Docent Champion
The River Authority also coined a new award, given to those volunteers who used their creative minds to promote the mission of safe, clean, and enjoyable creeks and rivers.
- Barbara & Carl Scheib—Artistic Visionaries
- Tamara Verschoyle—Artistic Visionary
Barbara and Carl’s “pumpkin head” River Warrior family picks up litter in their front yard!
River Warrior Tamara shows off her litterbug costume at this fall’s Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival.
Also honored that evening were the exceptional members of the San Antonio River Authority Board, the San Antonio River Foundation Board, and the various River Authority committees. These dedicated community members generously contribute their time, knowledge, and expertise by participating in board and committee meetings while advancing the organization’s mission.
On behalf of the River Authority and River Foundation, we would like to acknowledge all the hard work, tireless support, and passion that our volunteer community has poured into our mission and vision of inspiring action for healthy creeks and rivers.
Join The Warriors
The River Authority and our River Warriors are excited for the upcoming year full of exciting volunteer opportunities, including, but not limited to, apple snail removal training, Texas Stream Team water quality monitoring, monthly clean-ups, docent training, and much more. If you have interest in volunteering with the San Antonio River Authority, visit sariverauthority.org/get-involved/volunteer or email volunteer@sariverauthority.org.
