Gail Appeldorn, 2019 Inductee

Gail Appeldorn started her career as a “Professional Volunteer” at age 14, as a Candy Striper in her local New York hospital. She polished her skills with the Junior Leagues of Toledo, OH, and Chicago, IL.

After moving to Fountain Hills in 1999, she was quickly brought into volunteering by Evelyn Breting while serving on the committee selling bricks to fund the furnishings of the Community Center through the Civic Association. In 2005 Evelyn asked her to be the first volunteer at the reception desk at Town Hall. A friendship with Eleanor Bentson evolved in 2008 to a job in the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center. For many years she was a Courier/Transporter at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea.

Gail volunteers at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show, makes salad for Kiwanis meals at Ronald McDonald House, and hands out water to the Tour de Scottsdale. Very active in Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Gail loves to greet visitors on Sunday morning and is the founder of the Compassion Ministry. She loves to help her husband, Paul, with the blood drives five times a year and enjoys working on Make a Difference Day.

Membership in Four Peaks Women’s Club has given Gail endless volunteer opportunities, including ushering at the Community Theater and helping with Broadway in the Hills, hosting at In-Home Concerts and Community Chorus Concerts, making crafts for Home Delivered Meal trays, making jewelry for the Back to School Clothing Drive, making sleeping mats for the homeless, decorating the Community Center Christmas tree and cleaning streets for the Adopt a Street program. Gail is very grateful for the countless opportunities she has been given to work for the town that she loves.