We closed out fiscal year 2018 with our Annual Meeting on June 20, where we celebrated some of our most dedicated volunteers. These volunteers work tirelessly in a multitude of ways to drive the shared JDRF mission. All of our volunteers are amazing—take a look at this year’s award winners!

Rookie of the Year—Stevi Lukacz

The Rookie of the Year award is presented to an individual who has distinguished him or herself within his or her first 12 months of service to JDRF—and Stevi did that! Stevi joined the JDRF Eastern PA Chapter as an office volunteer, and she immediately stood out as a volunteer who wants to make a difference for those living with type 1 diabetes (T1D), including herself.

Unsung Hero—Lisa Sugarman

The Unsung Hero award is presented to an individual who makes a significant contribution to the chapter’s success behind the scenes, without serving in a leadership capacity. Lisa has been volunteering at our office twice a week for over six months. She is an awesome second hand to CarlaAnn, our Outreach Manager, and an asset to the outreach program. Lisa is genuinely happy to do any job, and we are lucky to have her.

Young Leadership Award—Caitlyn Ferry

The Young Leadership Award is presented to an individual under the age of 40 who has made significant contributions to the JDRF mission. For the past four years, Caitlyn has been the team captain of the Good Neighbor Pharmacy (GNP) corporate Walk team for JDRF One Walk Philadelphia. She works tirelessly to engage her fellow colleagues, vendors, family, and friends to support the Walk team’s efforts. Caitlyn was also a catalyst for GNP’s recommitment to the Philadelphia Banner Sponsorship. She was a speaker at a JDRF training, as well as an attendee of 2018 Government Day on Capitol Hill. Caitlyn exudes leadership in all that she does, and she continues to be a tremendous JDRF partner.

Passion Award—Joan Shander & Iris Frank

The Passion Award is presented to an individual whose passion for JDRF’s vision of a world without T1D is evident in how he or she represents JDRF in the community, engages others with the organization, and instills his or her passion in others. Joan Shander and Iris Frank are the epitome of passion. There is no way we could choose just one of them for this award, so it’s lucky for Eastern PA they come as a package deal!

Joan is a grandmother of a child with T1D, and Iris is Joan’s sister. Joan and Iris have been driving from Bucks County to our King of Prussia office to volunteer twice a month for over a year and a half. We can trust them with any type of job! Not only are these two women incredible office volunteers, they are also part of the number one Walk team in the JDRF New Jersey Metro & Rockland County Chapter.

Passion Award—Carolyn Harkins

Carolyn Harkins embodies the values we look for in the Passion Award due to her work with the T1D Connections Program. An outreach volunteer for the last three years, Carolyn has not only jumped in and built strong connections with new families but also implemented quarterly lunch gatherings for T1D moms as a support group. She does most of her volunteer work with JDRF behind the scenes, and she has had an extraordinary impact on all that she has been a part of. Carolyn hopes that she is able to make a difference in the lives of those impacted by T1D, to build a stronger T1D community, and to help to fund the research that is going to cure this disease.

Community Partner Award—City of Allentown

The Community Partner Award is presented to a community organization that furthers the JDRF mission by engaging its membership and community. The City of Allentown has been a great JDRF partner this past year as we worked together to move our One Walk Allentown event to downtown Allentown. Led by Christy Alvord, Allentown Recreation and Events Coordinator, the City of Allentown embraced JDRF’s idea to move the Walk to downtown Allentown and helped make it a reality. JDRF’s One Walk was the first charity walk to hold their event in the downtown area, and the city made it a dream partnership! We look forward to continuing our relationship with the City of Allentown as we work together to plan the 2018 One Walk Allentown event.

Volunteer of the Year—Lisi Lerch

The Volunteer of the Year award is presented to an individual volunteer who has provided extraordinary, measurable impact across multiple chapter priority areas. Lisi Lerch was the 2018 One Promise Gala Chair, and she stands outs as a true Volunteer of the Year! The April 21 gala raised over $1.427 million, making it the highest grossing gala in the history of our chapter—and it’s almost $300,000 over last year’s event!

Lisi has engaged dozens of people in various gala committee, outreach, and advocacy roles. She and her husband, Jonesy, secured our gala honoree, Bill McNabb, which opened many doors to new corporate connections. Lisi continues to be an advocate for JDRF, helping to engage and support new families affected by T1D. She links newly diagnosed families with our outreach program and personally offers support, advice, and education. Her family’s Walk team, Libby’s Locomotion, raised over $37,000 this past year, and she helped connect her network with our JDRF community by selling over 50 tickets to our 2017 JDRF Night at the Phillies event. Thank you, Lisi, for your amazing contributions!

Rosalie Maggio Award—David Glusman

 

The Rosalie Maggio Award serves as our chapter’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and it is presented to an individual who emulates Rosalie Maggio’s spirit of volunteerism. Since Rosalie’s passing a few years ago, her daughter, Maria Maggio Marfuggi, has kept the award’s tradition alive, choosing David Glusman as this year’s deserving recipient.

David epitomizes the spirit of volunteerism, as he has volunteered for JDRF since his daughter, Sharon, was diagnosed over 40 years ago. He has held many volunteer roles both locally and nationally, serving on the Chapter Board of Directors and the International Board of Directors while holding an officer position of both boards. He currently serves on the International Chancellors group as well as the chapter’s Chancellors group.

David is co-founder of the JDRF Online Diabetes Support Team, and he continues to offer assistance to people affected by T1D across the country. He served on our chapter’s Leadership Giving Committee and remains an avid advocate for planned giving as an active Beta Society member. He participates in JDRF One Walk and One Promise Gala events, and he was our chapter’s first rider in the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes.

David has certainly done it all, and he continues to strive to make a difference in the lives of those living with T1D and their loved ones. Thank you, David, for your tremendous leadership and passion!

 

Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers and supporters who helped to make fiscal year 2018 so successful, and to those who commit to making fiscal year 2019 an even greater success!