The American Red Cross in Greater New York is powered by people who bring our values to life every day through their actions, leadership and service. This year, we are proud to recognize a remarkable group of team members whose work exemplifies the five core values that guide our organization: Compassionate, Creative, Collaborative, Credible and Committed.
These individuals have gone above and beyond to support our mission, strengthen our communities and inspire those around them. Please join us in celebrating our 5C Award recipients.
Compassionate: Norma Maynard
The recipient of this year's Compassionate Award is Norma Maynard.
Compassion is at the heart of everything the Red Cross stands for, and Norma demonstrates this value in countless ways. Volunteers consistently praise her kindness, empathy and genuine care for everyone she encounters. Whether supporting volunteers or colleagues, Norma creates an environment where people feel valued and appreciated.
One of the many ways Norma shares her compassion is through her participation in the annual memorial during Share the Red, where she generously contributes her talents, including her beautiful singing voice, to help make the service meaningful and memorable. She also takes the time to personally write handwritten notes to volunteers who complete training tracks, making each individual feel recognized for their contributions.
Through every interaction, Norma leads with warmth, respect and kindness. Her dedication to uplifting others embodies the very definition of compassionate service.
Thank you, Norma, for always leading with compassion.
Creative: Mauricio Serrato
The recipient of this year's Creative Award is Mauricio Serrato.
Mauricio has consistently demonstrated innovation, adaptability and leadership while helping the organization navigate significant operational changes. When the division set an ambitious goal of increasing Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) usage to 80%, Mauricio quickly developed a practical strategy that drove measurable improvement while helping staff better understand when EFT was the right solution for clients.
His creativity was equally evident during the rollout of the National "Healthy Zone" initiative. Mauricio implemented a structured and thoughtful approach that improved performance while also identifying and addressing operational challenges.
Despite one of the busiest years for fire response cases, Mauricio remained focused on ensuring that every client received professional, high-quality service. His ability to find effective solutions while maintaining a client-centered approach has strengthened both the team and the communities we serve.
Thank you, Mauricio, for using creativity to meet our clients' needs while advancing organizational goals and standards.
Collaborative: Open House Team
This year's Collaboration Award recognizes an outstanding group of individuals whose teamwork helped make the December 2025 Open House an extraordinary success:
Silvia Tjioe, Dawn Neilson, Harris Cabrera, Uikki O'Bryant, Siobhan McGinley, Zaide Manzur and Dierdre Dolan, along with the many team members from DCS, Volunteer Services, Communications and other departments who contributed to the event.
The Open House was a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when people come together with a shared purpose. The event successfully showcased our facility, resources and programs while highlighting the impact of the Red Cross throughout the Greater New York region.
What made the event especially noteworthy was the extraordinary collaboration across departments and between regional and divisional leadership. Team members embraced cross-functional partnerships, communicated effectively and worked together toward a common goal. Their collective efforts elevated the success of the event and reflected the culture of teamwork, inclusion and partnership that we strive to build every day.
This group exemplified the spirit of One Red Cross, proving that our greatest achievements happen when we work together.
Congratulations and thank you to everyone who helped make the Open House such a tremendous success.
Credible: Denise Bloise
The recipient of this year's Credible Award is Denise Bloise.
Denise demonstrates integrity, transparency and reliability in every aspect of her work. Through her interactions with elected officials, community partners and colleagues, she continually builds trust and strengthens relationships that are essential to advancing the Red Cross mission.
Her consistent presence, strong work ethic and commitment to following through on every request have established her as a trusted resource both inside and outside the organization.
Among her many contributions, Denise provides daily notifications to elected officials about disaster responses throughout the region. These communications highlight the extensive work of the Red Cross in communities across Greater New York and help public officials better understand the critical support we provide to residents during times of need. She also diligently responds to inquiries, collaborates with response and casework teams to assist constituents and spends considerable time educating partners about Red Cross services and processes.
In addition, Denise coordinates community outreach activities, including participation at fairs and neighborhood events, often partnering with Disaster Program Managers and other departments to ensure communities have access to important preparedness and response information.
Through every interaction, Denise strengthens the trust placed in the Red Cross.
Thank you, Denise, for your consistent presence and for helping build credibility throughout our communities.
Committed: Karen Stichauner
The recipient of this year's Committed Award is Karen Stichauner, whose dedication and accountability have made a tremendous impact across the region.
Over the past year, Karen successfully balanced her primary responsibilities while taking on several critical additional roles. She manages monthly financial forecasts, metric dashboards, coding training, purchase orders and invoicing for the Operations department. She also supports security audits, badging processes and security training for staff and volunteers.
This year, Karen assumed leadership of a major initiative: overseeing the transition of facility security systems in Greenwich and Greater New York Headquarters to the nationally approved BRIVO security platform. The project required extensive planning, coordination and attention to detail. Karen recruited and engaged volunteers, supervised the conversion of badge data, manually verified access permissions and coordinated with departments to ensure a seamless transition.
Working closely with National Headquarters administrators, project managers and vendors, Karen became the primary onsite resource for troubleshooting issues and ensuring access remained uninterrupted throughout each phase of implementation. She made herself available evenings and weekends when needed, quickly resolving challenges and maintaining operational continuity.
What is perhaps most remarkable is that Karen accomplished all of this while continuing to meet the demands and deadlines of her regular responsibilities. Throughout the process, she demonstrated patience, empathy and professionalism, helping staff and volunteers understand the benefits of the new system while providing hands-on support.
Her commitment ensured that critical Red Cross operations continued without disruption during a highly complex transition. Today, she serves as a subject matter expert and continues to train and support others.
Thank you, Karen, for your unwavering commitment to our region, our mission and the American Red Cross.
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