“What is the essence of life? To serve others and do good,” Aristotle once said.
When someone decides to be a volunteer, they do it to help others, knowing their work will not always be acknowledged. Well, on Oct. 23, those who have volunteered in the South Jersey community were acknowledged.
Residents of South Jersey who showed exceptional volunteerism were honored and given awards at the Volunteer Center of South Jersey’s 4th Annual “Spirit of Community” Celebration last week at The Mansion on Main Street in Voorhees. American Water, of Voorhees, won the Corporate Excellence Award and Dr. Richard S. Woodward, a Voorhees resident, won the Silver level of the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Notable speakers at the celebration were Lisa Bien, author of “Life Happens, Bounce Back” and TV host, who was the keynote speaker for the event, and Assemblyman Gilbert L. “Whip” Wilson, who spoke to honor William Moen Jr. The MC was Greg Davis of the Volunteer Center of South Jersey.
The “Spirit of Community” night honors volunteers, non-profit and corporate leaders whose volunteerism makes a difference in South Jersey. Awards were given to 75 noteworthy volunteers throughout the night, but there were more than 100 awardees in total.
The Bob Shryock Community Service Award was presented to The Boys and Girls Club of Gloucester County for demonstrating excellence in volunteer management and an unwavering commitment to volunteerism.
The Family Day of Service 2014 Project of Honor was presented to the Duffield Family for the energy, passion and commitment they displayed to make the Habitat for Humanity project a huge success.
The Family Strengthening Network Advocate of the Year was presented to Valerie Cowan for her consistent support and commitment to the success of local families.
The Corporate Excellence Award, which honors a socially responsible company for its commitment to service in the community by engaging employees and devoting resources to support local non-profits and help those in need, was presented to American Water. American Water participated in approximately 25 community volunteer projects and gave more than 1,000 hours of time to help others.
The H.E.R.O.E.S. Award (Honoring Excellence, Rewarding Outstanding Employee Service), which celebrates star employees who have dedicated time, talent and resources to making a difference in the local community and served as an inspiration to their entire organization, was given to Jessica Guglietta and Karen Lewis of Campbell Soup Company; T. Carl Hemple, Sr. of Clear Communications, Inc. and Brandon McDonald of BC Technologies.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award is a national honor based on the number of hours contributed, which honors Americans who inspire others to make volunteerism a focal point in their lives. The award is given to individuals, families and groups that demonstrated outstanding volunteer service over the course of a 12-month period. Bronze awards were for between 100 and 250 hours; Silver awards were for 250 to 499 hours; and Gold awards were for 500 hours and more. Woodward volunteered more than 250 hours to receive his Silver award. A full list of awardees can be found on the Volunteer Center’s website at www.sjvolunteers.org.
The Volunteer of the Year Award is an award offered by the Volunteer Center on behalf of member nonprofit agencies, allowing each agency to honor volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution and whose volunteer service goes above and beyond the call of duty. The awardees this year were Betty Bartkovsky, Chris Coslove, Sharon Cross, Catherine Gardner, Diane O’Mara, John Uzdienski, David Silver and Joseph Giacobbe.
The Volunteer Manager of the Year Award honors the service of an outstanding volunteer manager who excels in the four key areas of volunteer management: recruitment, recognition, retention and utilization. This award was presented to Denise Rosen of the Center for Family Services.
The Distinguished Youth Service Award was given to Pierce Burgin, who has exemplified leadership qualities while dedicating an immense amount of time in service to the South Jersey community.
The South Jersey Humanitarian of The Year Award, designed to honor a South Jersey leader who has consistently gone above and beyond to make the community a better place through their commitment to volunteerism and selfless acts of community service, was presented to William Moen, Jr.
Moen and Davis finished off the night with a quote by John Wooded to make honorees and attendees think. “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”
The Volunteer Center’s mission is to change lives, empower families and improve the community through volunteerism and the support of local non-profit organizations. The Volunteer Center is located on the campus of Rowan College at Gloucester County and is in part supported by the Pascale Sykes Foundation and numerous corporations and individual donors in South Jersey. For more information go to www.sjvolunteers.org.
The celebration was sponsored by the corporate community, including companies such as Investors Bank, PBF Energy, Identity Gear, Baker Hughes, Cat-Spec, Ltd., Innovative Turnaround Controls, James Controls, Law Offices of Lynda Hinkle and Morris Graphics.
