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President Joseph R. Biden recently recognized Linden residents Therese and Mark Eutsler each with the President’s Volunteer Service Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award recognizes their more than 4,000 individual hours of volunteer service. They also received the Gold award for 500-plus volunteer hours completed the past 12 months. In 2019 and 2020, they received the Silver and Bronze awards, respectively, from President Donald J. Trump.
In letters accompanying the awards, the President wrote, “I thank you for your lifetime of service to your fellow Americans and those most in need. Through service, you have ensured the continuation of America’s unparalleled commitment to improving the lives of others. One of our nation’s greatest strength remains the compassion of our everyday citizens, who give so willingly of themselves and their lives for the benefit of others. You have served as a model of the American spirit. I trust that you will continue to work for the betterment of others and an even strong future for the American people.”
They are beginning their 35th year volunteering for the 500 Festival and have served in several capacities for most of its events, including 30 years with the nationally televised IPL 500 Festival Parade of which Mark has been a co-chair for 25 years.
They are co-founders of the Railway Heritage Network and Music Arrangement Trust and served together on the board of The John T. Conner Center for East/West Reconciliation and LIFE (Lacy Institute For Ecumenism). They each received the Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree from St. Paul Christian University’s Covenant Divinity Seminary.
Therese is a second-generation physical therapist practicing at Franciscan Health Crawfordsville. Gov. Mike Pence appointed her to the Board of Pediatric Medicine and Governor Eric Holcomb appointed her to the newly established Indiana Board of Physical Therapy on which she currently serves. She has also served on the American Physical Therapy Association Ethics and Political Action Committees.
Mark is an adjunct professor of education, subject matter expert and dissertation coach at Olivet Nazarene University. Gov. Bob Orr appointed him to the Hoosier Celebration ’88 Commission. Gov. Joe Kernan appointed him to the Indiana Occupational Safety Standards Commission of which he served as chair. Governors Pence and Holcomb both appointed him to the Serve Indiana Commission of which he is immediate past chair. President Clinton appointed him to a 20-year term on the U.S. Selective Service System Local Board and President Obama appointed him to serve on the agency’s District Appeal Board the final two years of the term. He served an internship while in college with the U.S. Secret Service as a White House Press Corps Aide during President Jimmy Carter’s administration.
Mark is also a co-founder of the Indiana Racing Memorial Association, American Racing Memorial Association, Friends of the Retired Members of the Indiana General Assembly and Indiana Performing Arts Hall of Fame Foundation. He served 20 years as the chair of the Ivy Tech Community College Business Administration Advisory Board.
The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. The awards honor individuals whose service positively impacts communities. They are administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service AmeriCorps agency and the Points of Light organization. Recipients receive a medallion, commemorative coin, lapel pin, certificate, and letter from the President for each level — Bronze, Silver, Gold and Lifetime Achievement.
