For some folks, Blossomtime means pageantry. For others, it simply means parades. Then comes the Abdelnour family of St. Joseph where Blossomtime means pure passion. From one end of the iconic American family to the other, passion exudes for Blossomtime and nowhere is that more evident than in the youngest member of the family Gianna Abdelnour.
Gianna, who was the front desk face of The Inn at Harbor Shores from opening day before advancing to her new role on the management team there, has been named recipient of the prestigious Gordon W. Hosbein Volunteer of the Year Award for 2017, and it couldn’t go to a cooler, more worthy player, in the Blossomtime realm.
The award, established in 1996, honors the many years of service and dedication that Gordon gave to the Blossomtime Organization, and elects annually an outstanding Festival volunteer. Nominees must have at least three years of service with the Festival, and previous winners of the award and the Blossomtime Board of Directors are not eligible.
Imagine the pride embodied in this year’s presentation when Blossomtime President Anna Abdelnour made the award to her own daughter, Gianna. That presentation and honor took place this past Monday when Gianna was recognized on the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Mainstage during the 2018 Miss Blossomtime Pageant. Rest assured that while the names are identical, this award has nothing to do with nepotism and everything to do with an incredible shared passion that permeates the Abdelnour family.
Blossomtime leaders say, “In our hearts, this person is the example of what the word ‘Volunteer’ means. For many years Gianna has served in several roles including the Central Queens committee, chaperone duties, tour week, pageant practices, pageant weekend, committee for the Miss/Mr. Blossomtime pageants, co-chair of the Monday night Queen’s dinner and now on the Fashion Show committee…to name a few.”
Those who have worked alongside Gianna describe her as “an all or nothing type of person and definitely ‘all in’ when it comes to Blossomtime.” Others have described her as someone who shows up time after time, jumps in and rolls up her sleeves, all while smiling and inspiring others to do the same.
While there are many diligent volunteers in the Blossomtime spectrum, you would be hard-pressed to find a more perfect match for the Volunteer of the Year honor.
Following her front desk duty stint at The Inn at Harbor Shores, Gianna was promoted to the role of Corporate Catering & Events Manager at The Inn. As part of her award, Gianna will receive a Blossomtime patron membership and will be Blossomtime’s honored guest at all 2018 Festival events. Additionally, she will be featured in a convertible in the 2018 Grand Floral Parade as the 2017 Volunteer of the Year.
The passion for volunteerism runs deep in the Abdelnour family as Anna worked for years as a volunteer before being hired as head of the organization. All of her daughters have volunteered. Her husband, Gianna’s father, Sam Abdelnour is Vice President of Sales for the North American region at Whirlpool Corporation, has been a long time Blossomtime volunteer, and is top volunteer for the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship 2018 where he is Chairman of the Executive Committee managing the Championship.
