The Volunteer Center of South Jersey's 5th Annual "Spirit of Community" celebration is an event that will bring the entire community together to honor volunteers, as well as, non-profit and corporate leaders, whose dedicated service makes a difference in South Jersey. The celebration will take place on Thursday, Oct. 29 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at The Mansion on Main in Voorhees. The highlight...
The Volunteer Center of South Jersey's 5th Annual "Spirit of Community" celebration is an event that will bring the entire community together to honor volunteers, as well as, non-profit and corporate leaders, whose dedicated service makes a difference in South Jersey. The celebration will take place on Thursday, Oct. 29 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at The Mansion on Main in Voorhees.
The highlight of the celebration will be the honoring of local volunteers and community leaders with service awards. This year, 10 types of awards will be presented to more than 100 awardees, including:
The Bob Shryock Community Service Award will be presented to FURever as Friends - Pets Helping People for demonstrating excellence in volunteer management and an unwavering commitment to volunteerism.
The Corporate Excellence Award, which honors a socially responsible company for its exemplary commitment to service in the community by engaging employees and devoting resources to support local non-profits and help those in need, will be presented to Auletto Caterers.
The HEROES Award (Honoring Excellence, Rewarding Outstanding Employee Service) 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. This year Paulsboro Refining Company has chosen Kim Mossbrucker.
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 year, this award will be presented to Michele Moken of the Garden State Rotary of Cherry Hill.
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. Our awardees this year will be:
- John Bednar (FURever As Friends-Pets Helping People)
- Jessica Blood (Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice)
- Margaret Griner-Siniavsky (Parents Anonymous of New Jersey Inc.)
- Dana McClellan (Gloucester County Library System-Logan Branch)
- Michele Moken (Garden State Rotary of Cherry Hill)
- Julia Ramirez (Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice)
- Bill Robinson (Gloucester County Special Services Education Foundation Inc.)
- Gerri Stefencavage (Senior Citizens United Community Service).
The Distinguished Youth Service Award will be given to Madison Ginotti, 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, will be presented to Brian W. Jones.
The Family Strengthening Network - Advocate of the Year is being presented to Riccina Cabezes for her consistent support and commitment to the success of local families.
The Family Day of Service 2015 Project of Honor is being presented to the Jonathan Cummings for the energy, passion and commitment to the Johnson Reeves Playground project, which was a huge success.
The President's Volunteer Service Award is a national honor based on the number of hours contributed, which honors Americans who, by their steadfast commitment and example, inspire others to make volunteerism a focal part of their lives. The award is given to individuals, families and groups that have demonstrated outstanding volunteer service over a course of a 12-month period. A full list of awardees is below.
GOLD
(Adult 500+ hours of service)
- John Bednar (FURever As Friends-Pets Helping People)
- Margaret Griner-Siniavsky (Parents Anonymous of NJ)
- Michele Moken (Garden State Rotary of Cherry Hill)
- New Jersey Orators, Inc
- Dr. Rob Toreki (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- Thomas Wilson (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
(Young Adult 250+ hours of service)
- Azeem Khan (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- Madison Ginotti
(Youth 100+ hours of service)
- Brianna Baylor
- Kayla Baylor
- Alexa Grabelle (Bags of Books)
- Aaron Spring (FURever As Friends-Pets Helping People)
SILVER
(Adult 250 to 499+ hours of service)
- Richard Anastasi(Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- William Cassidy (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- Scott N. Doyle (Gloucester County Library System - Mullica Hill)
- Ed Driscoll (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- Ken DuTill (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- Brian W. Jones
- Dana McClellan (Gloucester County Library System, Logan)
- Bill Robinson (Gloucester County Special Services Education Foundation, Inc.)
- Jeff Smith (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- Joe Vitulli (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- Gavin Webster (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- Dr. Richard S. Woodward(Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
- Richard Zeiner (Gloucester County Habitat for Humanity)
(Young Adult 175 to 249 hours of service)
- Gabby Ciminera (Gloucester County Library System, Logan)
- Sandra Lee Hilla
BRONZE
(Adult 100 to 249 hours of service)
- Maria Francesconi-Velez(Volunteer Center of South Jersey)
- The Peddler Shop(Gloucester County Special Services Education Foundation, Inc.)
- Robin McElroy (Gloucester County Library System, Logan)
(Young Adult 100 to 174 hours of service)
- Jessica Blood (Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice)
- Shelby L. Carlton(Gloucester County Library System, Swedesboro)
- Gabriel Cicione (Gloucester County Library System, Swedesboro)
- Nikolas Francesconi-Velez(Volunteer Center of South Jersey)
- Julia Rimerez (Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice)
The celebration is generously sponsored by the corporate community, including Adams, Rehmann & Heggan Associates, Inc., EJ Consultants, LLC., Eurecat U.S., Fulton Bank of New Jersey , Hardenbergh Insurance Group, Keystone Engineering, Inc., Nalco Champion, Parker McCay, Paulboro Refining Company, SGS Petroleum Service Corporation.
The Volunteer Center of South Jersey is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 that promotes volunteerism in the region and connects both individuals and businesses with opportunities to serve. The center also achieves its mission by creating best practice tools and by offering educational, consulting, and other support services to help our non-profit partners grow and serve the community. The Volunteer Center is located on the campus of Rowan College at Gloucester County.
