CORINNE BULLA

Corinne Bulla has volunteered with the St. Petersburg Police Department for several years. During her years of service, she has volunteered between 1,500 and 2,000 hours of community service per year. She works in the administrative section with the police department but her activities include filing drug abuse forms and automobile accident reports. She also works with the AmeriCorps program on various projects, including, but not limited to community awareness and solicitation of other applicants and other volunteers. In addition, Bulla assists the police department in searching for lost children, and conducting classes.

Corinne Bulla is an asset to the department and also works with the St. Petersburg Police Tyrone Gardens Community Resource Center as well as the St. Petersburg Police Athletic League PALs and has indeed found a warm place in the hearts of the police department employees and volunteers. Her duties at the Community Resource Center include informing the public of problem areas in the crime watch sectors, advising the public of the current activities sponsored by the police department in their area, and being a listening ear to any of the residents who need someone to talk to. She keeps herself informed of the activities in City Hall that will affect West St. Petersburg to ensure the interest of the community is taken into consideration. Bulla helps out in a variety ways with regards to PALs and has been an active volunteer with that program since 1998.

In addition to volunteering with the St. Petersburg Police Department, Bulla has been actively involved with the Pinellas Trail for over a year. One of her great contributions is overseeing the Pinellas Trail. This trail is a place for the public to walk and skate, and she dedicates two mornings each week from 6am until 8am to maintain the trail.

In 1999, Bulla was a Volunteer Assistant for the Special Olympics held in Raleigh, North Carolina. She did not allow her need for financial assistance to participate keep her from working with the Olympians. In fact, she was able to go to North Carolina and work, and she logged in the most hours of any volunteer. This was accomplished after a long daily commute via public transportation. Bulla’s team spirit and tirelessness won the hearts of participants, staff, and the celebrity guests at the 1999 World Special Olympic Games. Her personality, ability, work ethic, and daily demeanor impressed the coordinator for the games, Charles DeSmet, and made his job, as well as the job of whom ever else she interacted with much easier.

Bulla was recognized for her work and presented a certificate of appreciation as an Auxiliary Ranger for one year of volunteer service to Pinellas County, which included 500 hours of community service in 1999. She was also awarded Administrative Volunteer of the Year by the St. Petersburg Police Department Volunteer Program in that same year for outstanding efforts toward the success of their program.

In the year 2000, Bulla won Volunteer of the Year recognition for her 3,098 hours of service to the St. Petersburg Police Department. Also, she was recognized as the Administrative Volunteer of the Year and was selected for the Hall of Fame. She won the Tribute to Woman award for 2000 and 2001 and Pinellas Trail High Honor in 2000 and 2001. In 2001, she was designated Police Athletic League Volunteer of the Year.