The Volunteer Center of Burlington County has announced the three recipients of its 2015 Community Service Award, two of whom happen to be from Evesham.
This year, Evesham residents Edward O’Malley and Dave Silver were chosen by the center to receive the Lloyd Ritter Community Service Award, which is presented annually to Burlington County residents who demonstrate acts of service that embody the attributes of Lloyd Ritter, a founding member of the center.
Although professionally O’Malley works as a risk and benefits executive and Silver works as a business analyst, it’s the two men’s efforts outside work that have earned them recognition.
O’Malley’s volunteer activities include serving as chairman of the United Way in Burlington County; vice chairman of the NJ Governor’s Jefferson Awards; past chairman of the NJ March of Dimes; chairman of the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism and Community Service; past president of Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey; a board member of the Evesham Education Association; chair of the Lenape Regional Foundation; past president of the Marlton Rotary; and serving as a former commissioner of Evesham Fire Rescue.
Silver’s volunteer activities include his work as chair of Operation Yellow Ribbon South Jersey, which collects and mails care package items for members of the armed forces serving overseas, as well as arranging public welcoming ceremonies for those armed service members returning home. Silver is also a member of the Evesham Education Foundation and served in the past as a member of Evesham Township School District Board of Education.
“It’s consistent with how Lloyd went about his community volunteer service, and our candidates have a body of work,” said Mike Pippin, coordinator for the center. “It’s not so much what they’ve done in a single year, but it’s for having done work across time, so it’s an award for a pattern of doing service.”
For O’Malley, the award puts him on the other side of a position he normally finds himself in, as he said his work with the governor’s office usually sees him giving out awards rather than receiving them.
Nonetheless, O’Malley said he was truly honored to be surrounded with the honorees this year and prior years.
“It’s very meaningful, and the Volunteer Center does such good work and has a reach throughout the community, and to be considered in the same class as Donna and David is an honor,” O’Malley said.
Donna Aromando of Lumberton is this year’s third honoree, and works as a counselor at Rancocas Valley Regional High School where she has spearheaded numerous activities for students’ health and wellness issues.
O’Malley said his drive to volunteer comes from considering himself blessed, living in a great community in a great neighborhood and raising six healthy children who were all successful academically and professionally.
“I think it’s so important to give back to the community,” O’Malley said. “It makes our neighbors, our country and our state so much better a place to live and work and raise our families. It just connects us.”
Silver said receiving the award is an honor and hopes it will bring more attention to his work with Operation Yellow Ribbon and other organizations he supports.
“All the stuff I do I don’t do for the attention of awards like this, but it’s a nice byproduct of when you get recognized that you can bring attention to the folks who help support you and love you the most,” Silver said.
Like O’Malley, Silver said he considers himself blessed, and those who have the means to give back to the world should do so.
“Whether it’s seeing the happy, crying family of a soldier when they come home or receiving a letter from someone who received our care packages … when you get responses like that, it only makes you want to do more,” Silver said.
All three honorees will receive their awards at the Volunteer Center’s Community Services Awards dinner on Thursday, Dec. 10 at Deerwood Country Club in Westampton.
Those interested in attending or supporting the event can call the Volunteer Center at (609) 894–9311 ext. 1492, or visit www.volunteercenterburlingtoncounty.org. Tickets are $65. The event begins at 6 p.m.
