Red Cross Pioneer Valley honors volunteers and staff

Date: 6/7/2010

GREATER SPRINGFIELD The American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter honored several volunteers and staff for their outstanding contributions to the organization at its Annual Meeting May 20 at the Springfield Country Club in West Springfield.

This year's honorees included volunteers in the following categories:

Exceptional Volunteer Service

• Robert Quinn O'Connor, disaster services volunteer of Montague, exhibited extraordinary commitment to Red Cross as it worked to expand its reach, visibility and service to the Franklin County area;
  
  
• Robert Crowley, health and safety volunteer of Millers Falls, has been a mainstay in the Northampton office since 2007 and is responsible for training over 300 people to save a life by teaching first aid and CPR classes; and
  
  
• Mike Ebner, service to Armed Forces technology consultant volunteer of East Longmeadow, used his telecom expertise to save the chapter over $20,000 and help the chapter's Service to Armed Forces Call Center grow to handling over 30,000 cases a year.

American Red Cross 1st Level Tiffany Award for Employee Excellence

Cindy Bocash, director, Service to Armed Forces of Chicopee and Leominster, received the highest award given to Red Cross paid staff. Bocash manages a 24/7 Red Cross call center providing emergency communication to active duty military personnel. A quarter of all military social services casework in America happens under her management. Her team of caseworkers and volunteers also dispatch disaster teams in Atlanta and Los Angeles, oversee after-hours Red Cross Disaster operations in Chicago, as well as activate client assistance cards for chapters across the U.S.

Clara Barton Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership

Michael L. Santoro, MeadWestvaco retired, Red Cross Board of Directors of Wilbraham, has served the chapter as treasurer, finance committee chair and currently serves on the regional audit committee under the National One Red Cross structure. He has helped raise funds, manage the growth of the Military Call Center and lead the most successful board campaign effort in the history of the chapter.