Southlake’s volunteers give hundreds of hours of their time to support our community by assisting at the Library, the City Manager’s Office, Public Works, and everywhere in between. “We have some really great city employees, which makes it easy to be a volunteer,” said Citizen on Patrol volunteer Leroy McCall.
At the June 16 City Council meeting, Volunteer Southlake members were recognized for their service. Between April 2025 and March 2026, 711 active volunteers logged 22,580 hours, valued at roughly $800,000 according to the Independent Sector. All of their time and effort helps support the services and programs that residents rely on every day.
This year’s honorees were recognized across four categories: the Junior Service Medal, the Adult Service Medal, the Milestone Service Awards, and a new category this year, the City of Southlake Volunteer Service Award. In previous years, volunteers received the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) through a national program that is currently paused. Southlake has certified PVSA recipients since 2014, and the new City of Southlake Volunteer Service Award keeps that legacy alive with a more local focus.
This year, 37 volunteers earned Bronze, Silver, or Gold distinction based on the hours they served:
Bronze: Wayne Berryman, Vachan Dave, Tanvi Gadikota, Maggie George, Quentin Gourdon, Christopher Gradidge, Adhyan Kalva, Rana Kececi, Joseph Kolady, Naomi Kolady, Dora Li, Annabelle Nickles, Andrea Ocampo, Samaira Pande, Deetya Parvatham, Anand Satani, Noga Shapira, Jared Wiening, Jayden Zhang
Silver: Scott Kennedy, Praneeth Lankipalle, Allison Li, Eva Menezes, Aarav Mishra, Mahika Mishra, Ethan Taheri
Gold: Aaron Chang, Yahan Gajanayaka, Isabelle Gavin, Meher Kaushik, Niah Krishnan, Pritam Kunreddy, Sophia Lee, Juhi Patel, Ken Stewart, Vyas Vishnukumar, Derek Zoller
A few standout volunteers received milestone awards, marking years of devoted service. Christopher Gradidge was recognized for 500 hours of service, Wayne Berryman for 3,000 hours, and Ken Stewart for 8,500 hours. Since 2016, Ken has assisted Corporal Bedrich with training and range operations, applying more than 40 years of military experience and a strong commitment to safety and specialized procedures.
In the Junior and Adult categories, Mahika Mishra, a Southlake Library volunteer, earned the Junior Service Award for gaining the most hours of any junior volunteer this year. Meher Kaushik earned the Adult Service Award, serving 301 hours as an intern in the City Manager’s Office.
Southlake’s 711 volunteers contributed over 22,000 hours this year, demonstrating that the city’s success relies just as much on its people as it does on its programs.
To learn more about volunteering with the City of Southlake, visit the Volunteer webpage.
