Ellen Dewolf Distinguished Service Award Recipients
LEAP Agility Club welcomes nominations for our "Ellen De Wolf Distinguished Service Award". This award will be presented to a LEAP member in memory Ellen DeWolf, who passed away in late 2010. Ellen was one of our most inspirational, pioneer members.
Ellen and her husband Gordon were at the forefront in introducing and promoting the sport of dog agility in New England. Their lovely home and farm, Merryfields, was the site of some of the first agility workshops, trials, and classes in New England. In 1999, Ellen along with several other agility fans led the effort to form the LEAP Agility Club of Central MA. From the initial meetings in 1999, through the AKC club approval process, to the first official AKC trial in 2002, Ellen played a central role in LEAP's growing reputation as a club that welcomed newcomers to the sport, rewarded service and hard work, and supported its members both in their competitive and personal lives. She served as Treasurer of the new club as well as hosting club meetings, matches, training clinics, and fun activities at Merryfields. It is true to say that LEAP owes much of its initial and ongoing success to Ellen's vision, dedicated service, caring attitude and generous support.
In many ways Ellen personified the true spirit of agility. At the heart of her love and dedication to the sport was her belief that agility was all about having a fun working relationship with your dog, continuing to learn and perfect dog and handler skills while engaging in friendly competition and most importantly supporting your friends and club through both the good and bad times.
For more details on how to nominate, please scroll to the bottom of the page.
2025 Recipient
Noreen Bennett
Under Noreen's leadership the club has grown and evolved in meaningful ways including broadening its focus beyond agility, expanding membership, organizing a wide variety of seminars, and serving as a strong voice for competitors within the AKC. She is consistently kind and supportive to fellow competitors, even during her own challenging times. Her genuine passion for agility and the broader dog sports community is both genuine and infectious. Many members have shared how Noreen made them feel welcome and valued, especially when they were new to the sport. Her ongoing dedication to her dogs and eagerness to keep learning continue to inspire. She truly is a pillar of this community and is highly deserving of this award.
Congratulations to our Previous Award Recipients
2024 to Andrea Ruzzo
2022 to Steve Basson
2021 to Kathy Lesinski
2019 to Lori Eliot
2017 Carol Hwang, Paula Orcutt,
and Pat Sandillo
2017 to Carol Hwang, Paula Orcutt,
and Pat Sandillo
2017 to Carol Hwang, Paula Orcutt,
and Pat Sandillo
2016 to Pat McKinney and Chris Marinelli
2016 to Pat McKinney and Chris Marinelli
2015 Awarded to Deb Johnson
2014 Awarded to Maureen McLatchy
2013 Awarded to Monica Stathers
2012 to Sally King
2011 Diane Wilkinson and Debbie Loomis
2011 Diane Wilkinson and Debbie Loomis
The guidelines for this award are as follows:
• The award should be meaningful, not just a testimonial to friendship or longtime club membership.
• It should reflect several dimensions of service to the club and commitment to the spirit of agility.
• This award does not have to be given every year.
The person who receives this award should:
• Be someone who has demonstrated that they have the best interests of the LEAP club and the sport of agility at heart.
• Be someone who demonstrates more than one aspect of the spirit of agility including but not limited to: enjoying the ongoing working relationship with their agility dog(s), supporting education and training of themselves and club members, volunteering for a variety of club activities, being there to support fellow members in their personal and competitive lives, contributing to the welfare of agility dogs.
• Not be motivated by personal gain or advancement.
• Be someone who has been active in the club for some time, and has demonstrated a willingness to be “in it for the long haul”.
To nominate a LEAP member for The Distinguished Service Award please:
• Objectively nominate a person worthy of receiving the award--letting a person's actions speak louder than your emotions.
• List and support the reasons you are nominating this person with a short paragraph or statement as to how this person meets the above guidelines.
• No nomination will be considered without a support statement.
For more information watch for details on the LEAP Facebook page.