Deborah Mullen, the President of Lincoln County TRIAD, a volunteer who has donated more than a thousand hours to local senior citizens organizations, has been honored with a special presidential award.

“While government can open more opportunities for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. Thank you for your devotion to service and for doing all you can do to shape a better tomorrow for our great Nation. Your volunteer service demonstrates the kind of commitment to your community that moves America a step closer to its great promise,” said the letter signed by President Barack Obama.

Patty Ott, a representative of the Penquis Community Action Project in Rockland presented the award to Mullin at a recent holiday luncheon. “We keep track of the hours our volunteers spend and try to recognize their efforts,” Ott said. The award, called the president’s volunteer service award, is presented by the President’s council on service and civic participation. It is designed to help encourage volunteers to help their neighbors.

The Boothbay Harbor retiree was surprised. “I did not expect it and was impressed,” said Mullen.

Deborah Mullen is the leader of the Lincoln County TRIAD, a group that works with law enforcement and retirees to try to reduce crime committed on seniors and enhance the participation in law enforcement in senior activities. Focusing on unwarranted fears of crime, it helps to improve the quality of life for senior citizens.

“She is a big help with the senior citizens. There are a lot of scams out there and she has informed us about a number of them. She is a good worker. We honored her last year,” said Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett as he praised Mullen.

Ott cited Mullen’s involvement in programs that merited recognition including the 911 Cell Phone Bank. This program collects old cell phones and provides them to deserving seniors, and a program where seniors were encouraged to turn in unused and outdated prescription medications to police, rather than dumping them in landfills and down the toilet.

Mullen said she has recently helped several seniors who were tricked by scammers seeking money and helped a quartet of elderly people who had trouble returning shoes to a store that had overcharged them for unneeded and expensive inserts and inner soles. Many seniors are alone and lonely. When they get a phone call seeking money, or someone comes to the door, they have to understand the person is not always a good person.

Mullen stated, “There are a lot of scams out there. They have to learn to say NO!”