(CENTREVILLE) – St. Joseph County United Way Executive Director Kelly Hostetler has received another accolade for her hard work.

During a ceremony Monday morning, the St. Joseph County Bar Association presented Hosteler with the 2023 Liberty Bell Award. It was given to Hostetler by Bar Association President Luke Nofsinger.

Hostetler says she is overwhelmed by this honor. ...... {LISTEN}.

Hostetler was hired in September 1998 to be the Executive Director of the St. Joseph County United Way, which was a merger of the Sturgis United Fund and the Three Rivers Community Chest, and designed to help out all of St. Joseph County.

Joe Haas was on the committee that hired Hostetler to be Executive Director and spoke about that during the award ceremony. ...... {LISTEN}.

Under Hostetler’s guidance, the United Way fund raising efforts for the last five years have met or exceeded $1 million per year.

The Liberty Bell Award was created on May 1985, and is presented annually on May 1, which is Law Day. It is given to a non-lawyer, individual or organization in St. Joseph County, who has made an outstanding contribution to the community in one of the following areas: Promoting a better understanding of our Constitution and Bill of Rights; Encouraging a greater respect for the law and the Courts; Stimulating a deeper sense of individual responsibility so that citizens recognize their duties as well as their rights; Contributing to the effective functioning of our private and governmental institutions; and Fostering a better understanding and appreciation for the rule of law.