A Township First: Volunteer Honor Goes to Family

Every year, the Recreation Commission presents honors to its most active volunteers—which is important, considering how many programs the commission organizes that depend on the volunteers' help.

At the March 15 Township Committee meeting, the commission gave a special "shout out" to three of its most dependable volunteers, who happen to be in one family: Kathy, Allison and Win Winter.

Kathy Winter has served as Recreation Commissioner, a member of the Warren Township Board of Education, the township's Bicentennial event, and is currently serving as secretary of the Warren Rescue Squad.

"The most selfless thing we know about Kathy is that she will open her home to anyone who needs a pillow to put their heads on," Recreation Commission Vice-Chairman Dave Cole said during the presentation. He said she even provided shelter for travelers stuck at Newark Liberty Airport when flights to Europe were canceled due to the volcano eruption in Iceland last year.

"The buck doesn't stop with Kathy," Cole added. "Her children are just as involved with the community."

Allison, Kathy's daughter, has been a regular volunteer at the annual fishing derby and Easter egg hunt, a member of the township Green Team, and volunteered at the Lancaster, Pa., Big Brothers and Big Sisters program and as a mentor for Philadelphia Reads while attending Franklin and Marshall College.

Win, Kathy's son, has also been a reliable helper at the fishing derby, helped clean and reorganize a storage area for Summer Camp items, and designed posters and banners for the Fishing Derby, the Yuletide Bonfire and the Summer Playground program.

The commission also honored Joel Thomas Hoel for his help with the Fishing Derby, as well as his help keeping municipal baseball fields free of debris, and at the bonfire.

Hoel also served as a Cub Scout leader, and helped organize the Scouts' annual Pinewood Derby, which hosts hundreds of Scouts and their families.

"I would say that Warren is just a fantastic town for all kinds of focus on the kids and on families," Hoel said. "So many people do such a great job here; including Eleanora (Hermann, recreation director) and Eleanora is such a coordinating force for all of us. of course, that none of this could happen without her—and I'm sure there are many, many more people I don't know who are involved."   

The Jr. Volunteer of the Year awards were presented to Michelle Reina and Christopher Cunha, who were both active in the summer camps.

In a second first for the awards night, the township offered local recreational sport groups an opportunity to participate, and John Annunziata, of Warren Baseball Softball Inc., took the opportunity to recognize longtime board member Ron Berry. In noting Berry's contributions, Annunziata cited his many years coaching, coordinating the Major League Baseball’s Pitch, Hit and Run program, and his help coordinating field renovations, reconstruction, batting cage
installations, bathroom, and snack shack renovations.