Residents honored for volunteer work
Butler honored two individuals with the Distinguished Service Awards for their countless hours of volunteer service to the county during an event at Butler Country Club Wednesday night.
Butler resident Samuel Zurzolo was presented with the Senior Distinguished Service Award, and Butler resident Ken Bonus was awarded with the Junior Distinguished Service Award at the annual event.
The award, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Butler and the Butler Eagle, is given to one person older than 45 and one person younger than 45 for outstanding volunteer service.
Samuel Zurzolo
A 1957 graduate of Butler High School, Zurzolo is a former Butler Township business owner who currently serves as township commissioner.
He was instrumental in the relocation of a 1970 monument for Pfc. Paul Angert, who was a Butler High School graduate killed during the Vietnam War. The monument was moved from Island Playground to Rotary Park in downtown Butler.
As a former sergeant major in the U.S. Marine Corps, Zurzolo was honored as the Butler County Veteran of the Year in 2010.
During his service, he earned a Meritorious Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal with star, and the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with three stars.
He was honored for his service in the Rotary Club's construction of a shelter at Institute Hill playground in 2014.
Zurzolo also was instrumental in the club's construction of the South Hills playground in the city of Butler and the handicap-accessible playground at Alameda Park.
It was also noted that he has volunteered countless hours for several Butler County nonprofit organizations, such as Toys for Tots, Life Steps, and the United Way.
Although he has enjoyed all his volunteer efforts, Zurzolo said helping community children by renovating the area's playgrounds has been a passion.
“I do it for the children,” he said. “There are so many problems out there on the streets that they have no place to go. So we have to do everything we can to keep them off the streets so they can be on the playgrounds and areas that are safe.”
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Ken Bonus
A 2006 Butler High School graduate, Bonus is the owner of Bonus Accounting in downtown Butler and currently serves on city council.
He was honored for his volunteer service to several Butler County boards, including The United Way as treasurer, Butler Young Professionals as chairman, Butler County Chamber of Commerce and Butler Art Center.
Bonus also is cofounder of the Penn Theater Performance Company, a nonprofit organization formed last year to help restore the Penn Theater in downtown Butler.It was also noted that he volunteered his time at Butler County Community College preparing students for careers in the accounting field and with the IRS VITA program to prepare free tax returns for low-income individuals in the community.Bonus said his volunteer service has grown from his ongoing devotion to the Butler community“This is home. It's the place I grew up and it's the one place I can have an impact. It's community and you see everyone coming together to help out. It's the most amazing thing,” he said.
