Local woman devotes decades of service to community outreach and enrichment
Chester, CT- Whelen Engineering announced today that Connecticut community volunteer, Sandy Voss, has been named the 2023 Whelen Everyday Champion. Each year, Whelen’s Everyday Champion program celebrates and recognizes outstanding emergency service departments, individuals, or groups by honoring demonstrations of bravery during an act of exceptional valor, or tireless efforts in making a community a better or safer place to live.
Since 1988, Sandy Voss has been a member of the Volunteer Fire Department in Clinton, Connecticut, and has devoted countless hours to various fundraising and outreach events including fundraiser walks for cancer relief, toy drives and holiday events for children in foster care, and giving trees for pediatric patients at the hospital where she works full-time as a patient care technician.
When asked what motivates her to serve, Ms. Voss says simply, “It’s just our way of life,” referring to her husband, 4 children, 14 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren with whom she shares her love of volunteer work. It was her granddaughter, Autumn, that nominated Ms. Voss saying she is “…kind, loving, and always puts others before herself.” It was this commitment to selfless service and her tireless efforts to give back to her community that earned Ms. Voss the title of 2023 Whelen Everyday Champion.
“Sandy Voss is a perfect representation of what it means to be an Everyday Champion,” says Pete Tiezzi, General Manager of Motorsports at Whelen, and a retired 35-year veteran of the Chester Hose Company in Chester, Connecticut. “We’re thrilled to recognize her for her countless community contributions, and we look forward to honoring her at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina in January 2024.”
Ms. Voss will receive an award of distinction in the Whelen Hall of Champions, joining honorees from years past. This special exhibit found inside the Hall of Fame inspires visitors through stories of heroism, bravery, honor, and exceptional community service, and includes the names of past Everyday Champion winners.
Whelen Engineering revolutionized emergency warning technology with the invention of the first rotating “anti-collision” beacon in 1952. Today, Whelen continues to push the boundaries of innovation with reliable and powerful warning lights, sires, control systems, and software, all manufactured in America. Whelen encompasses two state-of-the-art facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire, with one million square feet of engineering and manufacturing space. With the largest design staff in the industry and 1,500 employees, Whelen’s mission is to protect those who protect and serve others by making reliable products that people can depend on when lives are on the line.
Whelen is a steadfast supporter of organizations dedicated to honoring first responders like the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and is a corporate partner of the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund.
