PITTSFIELD, Mass. - The Retired Senior Volunteer Program is celebrating their volunteers around Berkshire County.

RSVP is an organization where people 55 and older volunteer within their community.

The program's director, Lisa Torrey, announced the 2024 Volunteer of the Year and Station of the Year. 

Amy Schirmer won Volunteer of the Year for her hard work and dedication at the George B. Crane Memorial Center with her weekly art class for people recovering from substance use and alcohol use disorder, and many more actions she does with RSVP.

"I am very very grateful for this; very appreciative it means a lot to me there are some terrific volunteers and to be in their company is really an honor," Schirmer said.

Winner for Station of the Year was Pittsfield Beautiful Inc., who plants shrubs and flowers around downtown Pittsfield.

"This is a wonderful recognition of all the hard work that our volunteers do, and they do it gladly because we know it makes a difference in our community," said Claudine Chavanne, who is part of the Pittsfield Beautiful board of directors.

RSVP celebrated 60 nonprofits in Berkshire County, saying that, in 2023, 288 volunteers gave 36,674 hours to the city of Pittsfield and Berkshire County.