Brenda Blackmon, popular news anchor for My9 TV, hosted the event, and County Executive Dennis McNerney thanked the volunteers for their dedication in making Bergen County a better place in which to live and work.

Those present were entertained by the Hackensack High School Chorus, under the direction of John Zisa, singing selections from the Broadway hit, "Pippin," the school’s production this year.

Several Hackensack organizations honored their key volunteers at the event:

Youth Consultation Service (YCS): Tina Grotheer, Hitomi Taira-san, Giovanni Battaglia, Diane Demarest, Beth Barone and Dan Torres

Hackensack High School Interact Club: William Marut, Barry Chen, Janeth Remache, Tanairy Diaz and Emily Park

Gilda’s Club of Northern New Jersey: Audrey Black, Vanessa Canosa, Betty Gido, Lois Horowitz, Rivi Katz and Marion Kwartler

Shelter Our Sisters: Joan Burns, Jillian Ebanks, Shoshana Gertler, Fran Gordon, Jillian Gorman, Christopher Heffner, Jeffrey Heffner, Seiko Ishikawa, Jane Murphy, Patricia Schiano and Samantha Wilkerson

YMCA of Greater Bergen County: Red Brown, Dorothy Pita, Christopher Robley and Adrine Takakjian  

Bergen County Sheriff’s Office: Joseph Columbo, Kl Hwang, Josephine Parisi, Audrey Recchia, Sandra Schomer, Doreen Schlosser, Ronald Shannon, Simone Shubreck, Margo Tauberman, and Lynn VanWehering

United Center: PoPo Hosein, Howard J. Kloss, Aurea Ruiz and Lucienne LeGoff

Cheer Program of the Visiting Homemaker Home Health Aide Service: Virginia Clark, Carmen Getter, Tracy Tucker, Erica Whyte and Gail Whyte

Project Literacy: Betty Fever, Susan Jarema, John Virgona and Ronson Berry

Bergen County Office for Children: Josephine Celentano

Volunteer Center honors

Volunteers from several programs sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Bergen County were also honored. Established in 1966, the mission of the Volunteer Center is to strengthen the community by connecting people with opportunities to serve, operating model volunteer programs, building capacity for effective volunteering, and participating in strategic partnerships that meet community needs. 

The following individuals were honored:

Edith Brown, Stephanie Fleming, Mary Grey, Joanne Slawenski, and Earlene Smith  from Volunteer Ventures; Nanette Baker, Joyce Baynes, Kathleen Buttitta, Carola Di Ioria, Melanie Floyd, Vanessa Frazier, Marsha Gayle, Janine Mallach, Sandra Massieu, Sandra Merk, Barbara Moskowitz, Leni Rabinowitz, Patricia Tinca, Tracey Tsortakis and Marie Walsh of  the Mentoring Moms; Matti Prima, Charlene Scarcella, Ann Lari, Mike Lari and Kay Blair of the Volunteers in Protective Services (VIPS); Rose Crits, Rebecca Linzer, Norma Berke, Elizabeth Heald, Fran Heim and Timothy Hudson from the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.

For further information about volunteering, call 201-489-9454 or www.bergenvolunteers.org.