The AERC board members have accepted a proposal that the Ride Managers Committee put together which will give the membership a chance to recognize volunteers who have gone far above the call of duty. These unsung heroes get very little reward or acknowledgement from our organization so we felt it was time to find a way to honor them.

This will be recognition of all outstanding volunteers, nominated by appreciative AERC members. We decided to call the recognition "HERO"s of AERC, which would stand for Helping Endurance Riders Often.

This recognition (not an award) is for all nominated people. So many of our volunteers who are willing to help out wherever needed are not even AERC members, so being a member is not a requirement for HERO recognition.

What kind of recognition?

AERC would recognize each member at the convention by placing their name, photo (if sent), and a few words of appreciation in a place that could be viewed by all attendees.

Endurance News will list the names and do occasional features about the HEROs of AERC throughout the year. All nominated volunteers will receive a certificate of appreciation, suitable for framing.

Who is eligible?

This recognition is not for the average volunteer, even though we all appreciate them too, but it is for the volunteer who is forever available at the rides or for the riders behind the scenes, year after year, devoting many hours to volunteering.

How often have you driven to a ride, only to see the same person working that you just saw at the last ride you attended? Or have you noticed that many regions have the same timer in most of their rides, or veterinarians or vet scribes that willingly give up most of their weekends for you?

How about the people who are out on the trail year after year, working to help make your trail substainable so that you can have a terrific trail to ride?

Do you know of the rare pit crew person who takes care of everyone's horses on rides, not just their own rider's? We appreciate them at the moment but it would be great if we had a way to acknowledge their contributions.

Often a ride would not exist if it were not for the deeds of one particular person being available year after year. A ride manager may want to nominate that person so everyone could give them the recognition they deserve.

This list could continue endlessly but you should get the point by now. There many deserving volunteers out there that you may want to acknowledge through this new program.

How to nominate?

A member would need to send to the AERC office the name and address of the volunteer they wish to nominate, hopefully with a photo of this person working as a volunteer, along with an explanation of the time, effort and work they have done. The nomination fee is $5, which will help to keep the program self-supporting.

This program will be initiated at the 2010 AERC convention but you can get a jump start on it by sending your nominated volunteer information to the AERC office at any time. We hope this is a successful program that will continue for many years to come. The HERO program will be a way for you to show appreciation for all the people out there who are AERC's unsung heroes.

New members: join online by clicking here or phone the office toll-free, 866-271-2372.

Renewing? Click here, or give the office staff a call at 866-271-2372.

How far will you ride this year? Join AERC and we'll help you count the miles!