Haya Almahdy
Outstanding Youth Volunteer
Karen Lawinski
Heart of Service Award
Havas Village X
Outstanding Partner Award
Rasha Abdus-Salaam
Outstanding Volunteer
The American Red Cross New Jersey Region truly appreciates our volunteers, for it is thanks to their generous donation of time and talent that makes helping others in our communities possible. During April, we’re holding volunteer events to recognize the amazing work of many of these volunteers, including awarding the following outstanding volunteers and partners.
Read about our Pacesetter recipients
Her exceptional dedication and compassion while providing Health Services to those affected by disasters during her 16 years volunteering with the Red Cross has earned Karen Lawinski the Heart of Service Award. Despite the emotional toll, Karen works tirelessly, often going above and beyond to provide support and resources to those in need. Karen’s commitment extends beyond any recognition of her efforts, for her reward is the satisfaction she receives seeing how her work makes a positive impact the people she’s helping.
Testimonials highlight instances where Karen's immediate assistance and advocacy have profoundly helped distressed clients, ensuring their safety and well-being. Her relentless efforts, especially while she’s advocating for the needs of those she’s helping, demonstrates her unwavering dedication to serving others. Karen's selfless devotion, extensive hours of service, and significant contributions make her a deserving recipient of this award in loving memory of former Red Cross Volunteer Services Officer Michelle Esposito.
Michelle Esposito personified kindness and genuine compassion for the work of the Red Cross and the people we work with. She was a leader who inspired others to be gentle and warm. Michelle attracted people to work alongside her because she created an atmosphere that engaged, befriended, and elevated people near her.
Rasha serves as the Disaster Action Team Coordinator for Essex and Hudson Counties, showcasing unwavering dedication to her role and the Red Cross mission. Rasha’s leadership ensures volunteers are well-trained and prepared to assist people affected by disasters in high call-volume areas, even in the face of complex incidents.
Rasha's positivity and empathy make her a comforting presence for both her Red Cross teammates and those we serve, embodying compassion, collaboration, commitment, and credibility. While also balancing responsibilities to her family, Rasha consistently goes above and beyond to help those affected by disasters. In addition to her commitment to help others, her skills and compassion with translation make her an invaluable asset to the team.
Since 2021, Rich has served as an outreach, support, and logistics liaison between the NWS Earle and Joint Base McGuite-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) food pantries. He reliably devotes time each week to the warehouse at JBMDL. Rich collects items needed at the end of each shift to transport more than an hour away to the Earle pantry. Having no warehouse facility at NWS Earle, this action creates the much-needed import of items which allows the Earle pantry to operate. Rich is such a positive representation of the Red Cross with our military members and families.
Rich also serves as a Disaster Action Team member for Monmouth County and is an active participant with the Home Fire Campaigns at Sound the Alarm events, helping make New Jersey families and homes safer by installing free smoke alarms and teaching fire safety during home visits.
Tracy is honored for her extremely valuable contributions to the Duty Officer role in Disaster Cycle Services and the wider organization. Serving as a crucial point of contact during disasters, Tracy efficiently coordinates to get trained responders to the scene and communicates effectively with partner agencies, staff, and volunteers. Her calm demeanor, compassion, and professionalism greatly benefit clients in distress. Tracy's exceptional organizational and multitasking skills are evident as she handles numerous calls simultaneously. In 2023 alone, Tracy managed 357 calls while also supervising Duty Officers in New Jersey. She also deployed to help with disaster relief efforts in Texas.
Tracy also provides mentorship and support to her colleagues, contributing to the success of other programs such as Service to the Armed Forces. Tracy's outstanding service and commitment to making a positive difference are deeply appreciated.
Haya is honored for her contribution as a Biomedical Volunteer Partner. She began as a volunteer at 13 years old, and in the four years since then, has accumulated more than 3,000 hours of service displaying exceptional commitment and work ethic. Rising through the ranks from Assistant Team Scheduler to Volunteer Partner, she has consistently exceeded expectations and demonstrated genuine care for the mission. Haya's generosity extends beyond her professional duties, as she actively participates with various teams and events, including onboarding new volunteers.
Despite her young age, Haya has already graduated high school early to pursue a career in medicine, all while balancing her volunteer work and other responsibilities. Her colleagues recognize her as an invaluable asset, praising her dedication, kindness, and loyalty. This award honors Haya's outstanding contributions and highlights her as an exemplary volunteer deserving of recognition for her exceptional service to the American Red Cross Biomedical Volunteer Workforce Engagement Department.
Amanda has been serving as the President of the Monmouth County Youth Council for two years, earning recognition for her drive, professionalism, enthusiasm, and leadership. Despite challenges posed by the virtual environment during COVID-19, she has worked diligently to recruit and rebuild the council's membership. Under her leadership, the council continues to make significant contributions, including hosting four blood drives a year, collecting food for military families, and assisting children affected by home fires in Monmouth County.
Despite her busy schedule as a student and athlete at a demanding college preparatory high school, along with working part-time and volunteering elsewhere, Amanda remains committed to serving others through the Red Cross and actively involves other council members in volunteering, encouraging their participation in various activities and initiatives.
Reckitt has been an exceptional partner in our mission at the American Red Cross, demonstrating unwavering commitment and support through various initiatives. Their dynamic engagement is evident in the significant impact they have made in supporting communities during challenging times. As a national Disaster Responder member since 2022, Reckitt has consistently demonstrated their dedication to our mission through substantial financial contributions. Reckitt’s generosity extends beyond monetary support, as they have been instrumental in providing crucial In-Kind donations during episodic events, like the Hawaii Wildfires and local disasters like home fires, with their donations contributing to the recovery of those affected.
In addition to their disaster relief efforts, Reckitt consistently engages their employees in philanthropic activities. An annual food drive hosted at their Parsippany headquarters is a testament to their commitment to supporting members of the Armed Forces.
The outstanding partnership we enjoy with Reckitt is a direct result of the collective efforts of their dedicated team. Reckitt's dynamic and multifaceted support has been instrumental in advancing our humanitarian goals. Their commitment to making a positive impact in times of crisis and their dedication to supporting the well-being of communities aligns seamlessly with our mission.
As a strong supporter of the mission of the American Red Cross, Havas Village X is helping the organization build a stronger volunteer workforce and recruit blood drive sponsors through their collaboration with the New Jersey Region on the production of two professional videos. Havas Village X enlisted several of their team members to volunteer with the region and that team produced the Be A Future Hero video project, leveraging relationships to produce outstanding videos to benefit our mission. The creative, as well as the production, of these videos was coordinated by the Havas Village X team with numerous professionals in the field of marketing and advertising, including writers, creative directors, producers, editors, directors and actors – with all volunteering their time on the project.
The work done by the Havas Village X team on the Be A Future Hero videos – and our new Communications team volunteers – will benefit the Red Cross for a long time, as these videos will spur interest in volunteering with the Red Cross, helping us to sustain a strong workforce, as well as encourage new blood drive hosts, blood donors, and volunteers to get involved. Their commitment to the community at large is significant, as this work ensures our ability to prepare for, and respond to, disasters by strengthening our workforce.
The relationship that began with this donor and their volunteer team in 2022 has enabled an expansion of food pantry items made available to service members and their families at Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle to include a reliable source of meats and frozen food. This addition to the shelf stable items provided by the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakewood (JBMDL) food pantry has provided an opportunity for growth in reputation among the NWS Earle pantry of true help in family food budgets for our military families at NWS Earle.
Geralyn Alyce and her team have learned what we need to support NWS Earle and have worked faithfully each week to provide items that fit the needs of our customers, sometimes helping us load more than 500 pounds a week! They a truly a mission partner whose work enables the expansion in the number of families we can provide service to.
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