Haddonfield resident and mother of three, Lisa Quanci, has dedicated her time and efforts to helping military members and their families.
Haddonfield resident and mother of three, Lisa Quanci, has dedicated her time and efforts to helping military members and their families. For these reasons, she was recognized by the Liberty United Service Organizations, the nation’s leading nonprofit geared toward helping the U.S. military. Quanci recently won the title of Liberty USO Volunteer of the Year for Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey, Stateside on Oct. 20.
Quanci modestly refers to herself as, “one of the lucky ones” for being honored. Her efforts and success were also recognized at Haddonfield Middle School’s annual Veterans Day assembly earlier this month.
Picking a USO volunteer winner involves five managers of each USO center collaborating with the president and director of Liberty USO, followed by a discussion of some “incredible” volunteers resulting in one volunteer’s nomination, according to Quanci.
The USO provides a sanctuary for soldiers and their families in times of need. Operating on a national level, the USO is run by volunteers, more than 200 at the Philadelphia Center which is located at the airport, Quanci adds.
Growing up with her father in the Navy reserves was only one of the factors that unveiled a passion for helping those serving in the military. When asked why she decided to become involved with the renowned organization, she said having admiration for the era that birthed organizations such as the USO was crucial to developing her passion.
“My dad was a Navy reservist, so we were around that and it was part of our upbringing, and my dad was very much a historian … I always thought fondly to what that must have felt like to sort of live through that era,” Quanci said.
“I sort have always considered myself an old soul, so even as a young kid, I loved that era of old black and white movies and the whole history … I think I missed the era I was supposed to be born in, the glamour and the music and the dresses and everything. I always had an affinity for it,” Quanci added.
It wasn’t until her younger brother, Master Sgt. Donald Brandinelli was deployed in 2006 to Iraq, that she discovered how she could be of assistance to service members and their families.
“He was gone for 11 months and my sister-in-law had two little boys, they were 4 and 6, and it was a gigantic hole, just a gaping hole in our family, and I was astounded how much a family loses when someone leaves,” Quanci explained.
During what she describes as a difficult 11 months, she united with her sister-in-law to help do everyday tasks around the house in her brother’s absence.
Quanci became involved with American Legion Post 38 in Haddonfield in 2007, and began volunteering for the USO in 2014 at the center in the Philadelphia airport in the lower level of terminal A East, which houses 80,000 to 83,000 soldiers and their families per year, according to Quanci. Due to structural damage to terminal A, a new center is opening in terminal E, a higher level to the airport. Her most recent efforts include volunteering to help raise $10,000 dollars for furnishing a new center at the airport. Paintings done by Quanci of an American flag are being sold at $100 per painting. Proceeds go toward furniture, beds and household supplies for the new center.
During her time with the USO, she has recruited five people to join the team and changed lives in the process. Quanci’s favorite accomplishment at the USO includes helping a soldier flying from Djibouti, Africa, home to Pennsylvania on emergency leave to see the birth of his child. In the chaos of traveling and switching flights, the soldier misplaced his wallet in transit along with any cash required to get home along with his I.D. Quanci quickly rushed to action. Working with her team of volunteers, she collected several hundred dollars, called the partners at the Philadelphia Police Department and arranged for a police car to take him to the hospital. Although she was unable to follow up, she was informed that he made it safely to the hospital.
Quanci intends to stay with the USO for many years, helping as many as she can and making a difference to soldiers everywhere. Those wanting to purchase one of Quanci’s paintings for the new USO center can contact [email protected].
