HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Karen Davis displays the tools of her trade during a morning of down and dirty volunteer work at the Peace River Wildlife Center.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Peace River Wildlife Center volunteer Karen Davis feeds a finny treat to one of the center’s cormorants.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Showing the form of the softball pitcher she once was, Karen Davis underhands a fishy delicacy toward a group of Peace River Wildlife Center pelicans.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Under the eyes of a red-shouldered hawk, Karen Davis undertakes one of the dirtier jobs around — cleaning bird poop off cages.

HERALD FILE PHOTO
Then Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association president Marlene Hofer, sitting, far right, led the volunteer appreciation luncheon last year and handed out thank-you plaques to groups of members who do everything from taking care of the buildings and grounds to manning the front desk. The volunteer spirit is strong in PGICA, and nobody exemplifies it more than Hofer herself.

HERALD FILE PHOTO
Marlene Hofer gives her all to the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association and still makes time for a number of other good causes.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Mike Dallenbach, right, checks in with D B Sound’s Richie Jasinski during last month’s Save the Block Party Concert in downtown Punta Gorda. Dallenbach uses up close to two weeks of vacation time every year volunteering for the Block Party and the Florida International Air Show, both major fundraisers for nonprofits.

HERALD PHOTO BY GORDON BOWER
Blanchard House Museum volunteer and board member Scot Shively mans the computer at a meeting with members of the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, in town to discuss how to computerize their historical collections.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SCOT SHIVELY
Blanchard House Museum volunteer and board member Jill Shively helps design exhibits like last year’s Second Seminole War display. Husband Scot did the research.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALICE HORTON
Charlotte High School Senior Alice Horton shovels mulch during a mission trip to Georgia in 2011. She’s taken four such trips with her First United Methodist Church youth group.