- February 26, 2025
Noel Bickford was honored Aug. 15 at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3282 for her lifetime of service to her community.
When she was a young girl growing up in Brooklyn, Noel Bickford can remember her mom and dad serving Thanksgiving dinner at their local church.
“My parents were always doing something,” Bickford said. “Whether it was bake sales, making packages for community donations or putting together special fundraising events, it was just the way I grew up.”
She never grew out of that community service lifestyle and went on to be a volunteer herself. Bickford has a long list of service including being the executive director of the Civic Ballet of Volusia County, a trustee of St. James Episcopal School, a board member of Seaside Music Theatre, a trustee of the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens, a member of the Daytona Beach Junior League and an active member of the Family Connection Advisory Council at Florida State University.
“It becomes a part of your life,” Bickford said. “It is a sense of purpose. It is a sense that you really can help and that is a very rewarding feeling.”
Bickford was recently honored for her community service at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3282. She was presented with the Bronze Medallion of the Legion of Honor from the Chapel of the Four Chaplains Aug. 15. and said the honor was humbling.
“To be singled out and honored is humbling and unexpected,” Bickford said. “The VW post was celebrating their 40th anniversary, so it was a lovely turn out and big celebration for them and all the people who were there.”
The award has also been presented to four U.S. presidents, Dame Margaret Thatcher, Francoise Mitterand, the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Catholic Church and other international dignitaries. Bickford said to be in the same circle as those above is unexpected.
“So much of volunteering is what you get back,” Bickford said. “I think that goes back to that humbling experience. If there are great celebrities, political figures that give back then there are many normal citizens who are just like I am. They grow up believing you can make a difference.”
