WINNEMUCCA - Community activist Alaine Kliewer-Nye has been nominated for a Governor's Points of Light Award in the "rural individual volunteer" category for her work with nonprofits and community programs in Winnemucca.
Her first reaction to hearing the news was one of surprise.
"I was flattered and honored and tickled pink," she said.
Nye said she remembered receiving an email about nominations for the award, which she forwarded to coworkers, but never thought she herself would be nominated.
"It's so humbling, because I don't feel like I do more than anyone else," she said.
Nye has worked for the Frontier Community Action Agency since 2009 and has been in the nonprofit world since 2006. In that time, she has coordinated many events and services in Winnemucca and surrounding areas.
Out of 64 nominations only 17 nominees were chosen as finalists, and Nye is one of only three in her category, which she said makes the honor even more flattering.
Nye moved to Winnemucca with her family when she was five years old and graduated from high school at Lowry.
She then spent the next several years living in different cities across the country where she earned her degree in psychology and gained experience in various fields. Although she hadn't originally planned on settling down in Winnemucca, she said she is glad she came back and happy to be in the community.
Some of the specific programs that Nye has contributed to that led to her nomination are the summer food service program, the Family Stability Council, and a monthly community breakfast, according to a press release from Nevada Volunteers on the award.
The summer food service program, which Nye coordinates every year, helps to continue feeding children through the summer when they are not in school everyday. This past year, Nye said over 3,000 meals were provided in Humboldt County alone. Another 1,000 or so were provided in Pershing.
"This last year was awesome," Nye said, "and I plan to do it again (next) year."
Nye did not take full credit for the success of the program, however, and praised the community and city for their efforts as well.
"I can't tell you how many people it took to make this happen," she said. "It was everybody coming together that did it."
Another program that Nye has played an integral part in coordinating is the Family Stability Council, which she refers to as a "nonprofit roundtable," which gives community organizations and nonprofits the opportunity to brainstorm solutions for problems in the community.
When the group was formed in 2007, Nye said three main goals were selected: to have no hungry children, to have a place for everyone (housing), and to work to improve mental health services.
Nye said the purpose of the group was to bring organizations together with their problems and solve them using all the resources available.
"If we were each doing it on our own," she said, "it would be a lot harder."
According to Nye, the focus of the group is building a family for clients out of the community around them, because not everyone has a stable and reliable group of actual family members to depend on within the community.
Nye also hosts a monthly breakfast to bring the community together "to learn about something they may not know much about."
Nye said that the topics and presentations at these meetings vary, but that an example of a recent breakfast was a discussion on access to healthcare. At some breakfasts a group or organization will speak about their role in the community and the services they provide.
"It's good way to learn about something new in the community and know to refer people to it in the future," she said.
Nye said that the monthly meetings are also a forum for new community leaders to introduce themselves.
Lily Avalos, a coworker and friend of Nye's, feels that Nye really deserves the Governor's award.
"She always goes above and beyond to make sure the people who come into her office are taken care of," Avalos said.
Avalos said that Nye is really good at listening to people and hearing them out.
"She really gives them hope," she said.
Avalos also said that Nye is very patient with her clients and dedicated to getting them to a better place.
After years on the job, Avalos said it's easy to become numb but Nye has not - she is still out and about and helping in any way she can without judging a client's situation.
While Nye is excited about the honor, she still refrained from singing her own praises.
"I am beyond honored," she said. "I don't even know the words to describe it."
The 11th Annual Governor's Points of Light Awards will be held on Jan. 18, 2013, in conjunction with the Volunteer and Corporate Engagement Summit at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
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