The American Red Cross of Central Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands is proud to announce that two local volunteers received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, recognizing incredible individuals who are committed to a high level of volunteerism.

Two Service to the Armed Forces volunteers were honored with a Gold Award for volunteering 500 hours or more in a single year:

• James Ward for his service to Patrick Space Force Base
• Fred Holmes for his service to Orlando VA Healthcare System

The distinguished awards were presented virtually by Koby Langley, Senior Vice President of Service to the Armed Forces and International Services for the American Red Cross. “This level of achievement represents a person who’s dedicated themselves to being a humanitarian, to helping others in need,” he said during the ceremony.

At the Red Cross, Service to Armed Forces volunteers support a variety of roles helping members of the military, veterans, their families and caregivers cope with the challenges of service. Here are few of our focus areas:

• In times of emergency, we help military families communicate with their loved ones and help facilitate their return home through our Hero Care Network.
• Through our ‘Get To Know Us Before You Need Us’ program, we meet with enlistees and their families to share how our services can help before, during and after deployment.
• We offer a variety of free resiliency workshops both in person and online, to provide military, veterans and their families with effective tools for facing challenges and stress.
• Our medical and non-medical volunteers provide care, comfort and therapy items at veteran hospitals and military treatment facilities.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award was founded in 2003 by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. Led by AmeriCorps, in partnership with the Points of Light Foundation, the award honors individuals whose service positively impacts communities and inspires those around them to also take action.

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