Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • March 14, 2012
Ho-Ho-Kus
CERT earns seven President’s Volunteer Service Awards
by Jennifer Crusco The Ho-Ho-Kus Community Emergency Response Team has received seven President’s Volunteer Service Awards for 2005 through 2011. Congressman Scott Garrett made a special appearance in Ho-Ho-Kus on March 2 to present the one bronze and six silver awards to the borough’s team leaders and to CERT Program Manager Stanley Kober, who is also commander of VFW Post 192. Team leaders Patty Nazzaro, Brian Wormser, Joe Stewart, Mike Limatola, and Cindy Tharayil and Kober received the certificates from Garrett. “America’s CERT volunteers work to make our communities stronger and safer,” Kober said. “As a certifying organization for the award program, the Borough of HoHo-Kus CERT is proud to be aligned with this prestigious volunteer award, and I am especially proud of our local CERT volunteers who have made volunteer service a central part of their lives.” On hand at the ceremony were Lieutenant Joe Geleta of the New Jersey State Police, Bergen County Police Detective Gidget Petry, Ho-Ho-Kus Emergency Management Coordinator Jay Ludwig, Local Emergency Management Council member/OEM Mitigation Officer John Hanlon, Council Members Maryellen Lennon and Kevin Shea, and former police chief Gregory Kallenburg. In 2004, Lt. Geleta instructed Kober in how to train CERT members. Det. Petry, who is Bergen County’s CERT coordinator, offered high praise for Ho-Ho-Kus. She noted that, whenever CERT presence is needed, Ho-Ho-Kus is the first group to respond to the call. The President’s Volunteer Service Award is a national award that was established in 2003 and is presented annually to individuals, groups, and families who have demonstrated exemplary citizenship through their volunteer efforts. After the ceremony, Kober explained that the awards had been presented en masse due to new regulations regarding CERT records. Recently, each CERT organization was asked to go back as far as possible and submit records, including time reports, to the county. For Ho-Ho-Kus, this submission led to the multiple retroactive awards. Ho-Ho-Kus CERT was established on Jan. 19, 2005, (continued on page 24)
Top photo: Congressmen Scott Garrett addresses Patty Nazzaro, Joe Stewart, Brian Wormser, Cindy Tharayil, Mike Limatola, and Stan Kober. Bottom left: Lieutenant Joe Geleta of the New Jersey State Police, Stan Kober, and Bergen County Police Detective Gidget Petry. Bottom right (front row): Congressman Garrett, Councilman Kevin Shea, Councilwoman Maryellen Lennon. Second row: Jay Ludwig and John Hanlon.