Public Service Award Winners

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Each year the GEICO Public Service Awards honor civil servants whose efforts do not fit within their 9-to-5 job descriptions.

"We established the GEICO Public Service Awards to help focus attention on the many ways in which federal employees contribute to the quality of life in our nation, and to give them some well-deserved recognition," says Tony Nicely, president and chief executive of the insurance giant.

The awards, given to four federal employees and one federal retiree, honor the recipients' committment to serving their communities through initiatives aimed at substance abuse prevention, physical rehabilitation, car accident prevention and fire safety.

This year's winners are:

• James Kaderabek, education coordinator at the Army's, Camp Henry in South Korea, for educating his community on substance abuse and starting alcohol-free events, including the country's first "First Night" New Year's Eve celebration.
• Judith Gilliom, disability program manager at the Defense Department, for opening federal employment to people with disabilities and working to establish government-wide goals for hiring people with severe disabilities.
• Kathleen Tomlin, secretary to the chief of staff, Fort Lyon V.A. Medical Center, Fort Lyon, Colo., for starting a post-prom party for her local high school. Since Tomlin started the alcohol-free event, police have not reported any prom-related drunk driving incidents.
• Alma Bowen, computer specialist at the Air Force's Gunter Annex in Alabama, for creating a volunteer fire department in her community.
• Ronald Hinkle, a retired Social Security Administration insurance representative in Round Lake Beach, Ill., for starting a rehabilitation program for the disadvantaged, drug addicts and homeless people.

Each winner was given $2,500, an all expenses paid trip to Washington and a commemorative plaque presented at a ceremony this week. Nominations were reviewed by a panel of experts in each of the four categories.