The American Red Cross New Jersey Region is proud to honor our incredible volunteers and community partners.
We had planned to present these distinguished awards as we have every year, with volunteer recognition events and ceremonies held throughout the state. This was not possible due to the coronavirus pandemic.
We are extremely grateful to all of our volunteers who share their time, their expertise, and their compassion to help others in need.
We proudly present the American Red Cross New Jersey Region 2020 Award Recipients for
Outstanding Volunteer Service
Outstanding Partner
Outstanding Youth Involvement
Additional volunteer recognition, including Years of Service and Pacesetters.
We have counted on the support and leadership of Rick Barrett since the turn of the century! He has served in in so many capacities on Boards of Directors and within our Red Cross New Jersey lines of business. Rick’s extensive knowledge of the American Red Cross coupled with his remarkable interpersonal skills has made him an ideal chair for our regional Volunteer Relations Team. He also currently holds positions in Disaster Cycle Services Mass Care. In any of his Red Cross roles, he is honest and always takes a rational look at any situation to advise a suitable outcome. In his time with the organization, he has seen many changes, and no matter what, Rick has always been a champion for our mission delivery in our community.
The Paterson Fire Department has been an integral partner of ours over the years and has worked with us on many events, ranging from home fire responses to community outreach and education. Their commitment to excellence ensures that each event is outstanding and client service during disasters is exceptional. They are wholly engaged with the Red Cross mission to help prevent and alleviate suffering; they call Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers to fires in the city on a near-weekly basis, and in 2020 were chosen to serve as hosts for our signature Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event. They are helpful, collaborative, and compassionate, are deeply invested in community safety, and are a committed, valued partner who help make our mission possible.
The Millburn Public Library has been a continuous and generous supporter of the American Red Cross. Since the inception of our Run for Red 5K fundraiser 14 years ago, the Millburn Public Library has partnered with us by serving as the staging site where we occupy their parking lot with Red Crossers, community runners, and an up-beat DJ each year. Being allowed to use this well-known landmark has been part of the event’s recipe for success. The Millburn Public Library also opens its doors to us as a stead-fast blood donation site. The first Saturday of every month, they graciously allow us to come in and run consistently successful blood drives. Their staff act as courteous hosts to Red Cross Blood Services as well as those who come in to save lives by donating blood. Thanks to the Millburn Public Library, we continue to be able to mobilize donors, engage volunteers and supporters, and deliver the American Red Cross mission across the local community and the whole region!
In his years with the Red Cross New Jersey Region, Brian Lee has shown great interest in and affinity for personal growth as a volunteer and as a leader. He has been a member and a leader of his high school’s Red Cross Club and his county-based Red Cross Youth Council. Both groups of passionate Youth Volunteers were able to benefit from Brian’s passion for community service and our Red Cross lines of service. Supporting the growth of both youth groups, Brian has positively impacted his school, community, and peer groups. He was able to join the Northern New Jersey Board of Directors, working along side our Chapter Executive and collaborating with business and community leaders to support the American Red Cross Mission delivery. With outstanding Youth Volunteers like Brian Lee in our volunteer workforce, we will be able to serve our community well for a long time to come!
Alan Smith has contributed to the American Red Cross New Jersey Region and its mission delivery in countless ways! As a retired Colonel of the United Stated Marine Corps, Alan has shifted his passion for service to the community through our organization and reflects our values in his roles as a Red Cross Volunteer, Board Member, Blood Donor, and so much more! His dedicated service has been recognized previously, as he was honored with a Pacesetter Award in Service to Armed Forces, and he is regularly recognized by his fellow Red Crossers as kind, caring, charismatic, reliable, trustworthy, energetic, and an example of the utmost integrity. It is our honor as an organization to be affiliated with such a valued community leader and our pleasure to recognize him with this award!
Starting as a volunteer covering our front desk a little over a year ago, Aline Tomas quickly moved deeper into her role as a dependable support volunteer and all-around great person to have around. She expanded her role at the Princeton front desk to include assisting with Operations, Financial Development, Special Events, and Volunteer Services. She has become a key lead volunteer on the Operations Team, attending conference calls and meetings, and her partnership and leadership with that team has rapidly become indispensable. Aline was nominated for recognition by three separate colleagues this year, and several others shared their affection for this tremendously giving and capable woman we are proud to call an Outstanding Volunteer!
Since 2015, the Trenton Fire Department has been a key partner and champion of the Home Fire Campaign (HFC) program in their city. They have co-led more than 20 HFC home fire and smoke alarm installation events and were a proud Sound the Alarm signature city in both 2017 and 2018, installing more than 4,370 alarms in 1,850 homes, which made more than 6,200 Trenton residents safer. Thanks to their enthusiasm, dedication, and strong, well-respected presence in the city, our partnership has led to making a whopping 10% of the city safer since the program’s inception. In 2019, the “Street Wise” program was developed by the Red Cross and Trenton Fire Department to rapidly address the needs of neighborhoods affected by home fires; by leveraging heightened awareness and interest in home fire safety as a direct result of those disasters, we have been able to engage even more residents in the HFC program. The Trenton Fire Department is also extremely self-driven in program delivery and install an average of 20-30 alarms per month through their own efforts. They are a key partner in the success of our preparedness efforts, and our relationship with them is deeply appreciated.
Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity first became a partner organization of the American Red Cross in 2013 as part of the Red Cross Superstorm Sandy Recovery Program. Through this collaboration, many Superstorm Sandy-affected homeowners had their homes rebuilt or repaired, and were able to return home thanks to Habitat’s dedicated staff and volunteers. When the recovery program ended in 2015, leaders from Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity and the Red Cross New Jersey Region were committed to finding ways to continue their collaboration, and the Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Home Fire Campaign was a natural fit. As a Home Fire Campaign Partner, the Habitat volunteers and staff have continuously been training and working with the Red Cross to install free smoke alarms and provide education about home fire safety in some of the most vulnerable areas in Ocean County. They are committed to improving the community and making homes safer, and we are honored to recognize them as an Outstanding Partner.
Kashmala Rehman has been cheerfully volunteering with the American Red Cross for several years now, and she has been supporting delivery of the Red Cross Mission in our community in so many ways! She began donating blood as soon as she was eligible, and she is clearly passionate about assisting the organization with meeting the critical need for blood throughout the year. Her participation in Disaster Cycle Services has been impressive: in Disaster Preparedness with our Home Fire Campaign home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events; in Disaster Response with cleaning cots for our shelters; and in Disaster Recovery with her Youth Council work supporting families and children affected by home fires! Those who work with her describe her as hard-working, dependable, inclusive, compassionate, and most of all, deserving of this recognition.
Even though she is only fifteen-years-old, Arthi Venkatakrishnan has done outstanding volunteer work with the Red Cross New Jersey Region for years! Starting at age thirteen, Arthi joined our new nation-wide Volunteer Intake Processing Center (VIPC) Team and volunteered locally as a very active Red Cross Youth Volunteer. In her time with the organization, she has grown in each of these roles and become a leader in both. She has been contributing to the success of our region-wide Youth Volunteer peer mentoring group, the New Jersey Club Consortium (NJCC), and Arthi’s promotion to VIPC Team Leader was in recognition of her ability and commitment. Arthi has thrived in this role, onboarding, training, and managing new VIPC Volunteers. Arthi truly exemplifies Outstanding Youth Involvement!
After receiving a Pacesetter Award last year for her work as Volunteer Partner to our Disaster Program Manager in Camden and Burlington Counties, Nina Aviles has continued to grow in her volunteer role, applying her skills to a multitude of mission-related activities, and establishing herself as an asset to our Red Cross New Jersey Disaster Services Team. She serves our region as the Disability Integration Lead, improving service delivery to all Red Cross clients, volunteers, and employees, no matter their abilities or access and functional needs. Nina is extraordinary in her commitment, generous with her time, and inspiring in her actions. We are honored to recognize her contributions again this year!
Gary Halbe has shown a deeply rooted commitment to the American Red Cross for almost a decade, donating his time, talent, and blood to the organization over the years! His service began in Biomedical Services in 2011, and since starting in his volunteer role, Gary has crossed over state lines and Red Cross lines of business to deliver our mission in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey in Biomedical and Disaster Cycle Services. He has served in times of great need by deploying locally and around the country, and he continued to be a fantastic representative of our Red Cross New Jersey Disaster Team. Further devoting himself to the Red Cross mission, he has donated many gallons of blood himself, and he is responsible for encouraging others to donate as well. Gary displays all our Red Cross Values in every aspect of his work, and we are proud to celebrate the outstanding gifts he gives to us and our community!
The Red Cross has enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the Atlantic City Fire Department. Chief Scott Evans and the ACFD have installed hundreds of smoke alarms throughout the city, covering every ward within city limits, and have co-presented with the Red Cross to communicate the importance of fire safety and prevention to Atlantic City residents and businesses. This whole-community approach aligns directly with the ACFD’s mission to serve their city in every way possible through partnership with various non-profit organizations, and helps both them and us maintain our status as leaders in community engagement and preparedness. The Red Cross is called to every fire in the city, which enables us to maintain a strong partnership and, most importantly, deliver critical services to the city’s residents in their time of need.
Virtua Health is an active partner with the Red Cross New Jersey Region, as well as a generous financial donor and committed supporter. Through involvement on the Board of Directors and the volunteerism of its employees, Virtua is a tremendous champion of our Red Cross Mission delivery. They host quarterly blood drives throughout their fourteen locations and have collected 1,367 pints of blood throughout Southern New Jersey in 2019 alone! In addition, the company sponsors special events, provides funds for critical initiatives like our Disaster Preparedness Home Fire Campaign, and highlights their employees’ engagement along with additional Red Cross volunteer opportunities in their company newsletter. It is our pleasure to recognize the contributions of Virtua Health, as they are a terrific group of advocates that make up one Outstanding Partner to the American Red Cross and the community we serve!
Her contagious smile, dedication, kindness, and passion have made Aura Lopez a valued member of her local Red Cross Youth Council and Youth Representative to her Chapter Board of Directors. She was voted into a leadership position with the Youth Council by her peers, and she has been able to lead by example, encouraging her fellow Youth Volunteers to get more engaged in the Red Cross Mission delivery just as she has: attending the overnight Youth Mock Shelter, volunteering with and acting as a translator for Spanish speaking clients with the Disaster Preparedness Home Fire Campaign, leading fundraising events, and supporting Service to the Armed Forces programs at a local Veterans Home. Aura takes great pride in being a Red Cross Volunteer, and we take great pride in honoring her as our volunteer!
