Ideal Community Service Organization Presents Volunteer of the Year Award

The Ideal Community Service Organization gave out their annual Volunteer of the Year award at their board meeting on Thursday.

Tony Coffey was presented with the award for his contributions to various organizations around Ideal Township, located near the cities of Crosslake and Pequot Lakes. Coffey is passionate about preserving the natural beauty of his community, including with the Whitefish Area Property Owners Association, where he has led with fight against the aquatic invasive species starry stonewort.

“It’s a real surprise to receive this award,” Coffey told Lakeland News. “Sometimes awards like this, particularly when they come from volunteer organizations, you know the amount of work that these people put in to their own causes and their own concerns and their own things. So it is just a real honor to receive the award.”

Coffey plans to continue his fight to help maintain the pristine waters of the Whitefish Chain of Lakes.