George Virtue, the operations manager at Santiam Lumber in Sweet Home, makes sure to help out his community. Now he’s officially getting recognized for it. Virtue has been named Weyerhaeuser's Volunteer of the Year. "It was really encouraging to see that the work that I'm doing does make a difference," he said. "And it is nice to be appreciated." He volunteers at Sweet Home Fire and with the high school's Forestry and Natural Resources Program. Teacher Blake Manley nominated Virtue for the award. "It's industry professionals like George, giving their time and effort to create a better learning environment for our kids," Manley said. George pledged half of his $5,000 dollar award to raise funds for a new firefighter support vehicle. When asked about his advice for others, he says, "Get out and volunteer." https://sweethomefire.org/about/links/