Page 14 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • May 14, 2014 Area Sam Cassell earns McConnell Award for volunteerism The American Medical Association has announced that Samuel Cassell, MD will receive the 2013 Jack B. McConnell MD Award for Excellence in Volunteerism, in recognition of Cassell’s outstanding accomplishments as founder of the Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative. The BVMI Healthcare Center in Hackensack, which opened in 2009, provides free medical care to working, low-income, uninsured residents of Bergen County. More than 1,000 patients receive care from 65 volunteer physi- cians, nurses, and other health care practitioners at nearly 6,000 medical visits each year. “The Excellence in Medicine Awards honor physicians who represent the highest values of altruism, compassion, and dedication to patient care,” the AMA said in a state- ment announcing Cassell’s award. “Your selection from the impressive group of nominees speaks volumes in rec- ognizing your dedication to the profession of medicine.” A resident of Wyckoff, the honoree is a highly- respected internist with a pulmonary sub-specialty. He served the community for over 40 years in private prac- tice and as an attending physician in Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. He is also a long-time clinical instructor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Soon after his retirement in 2003, Dr. Cassell recruited colleagues to help him create a volunteer health care center for uninsured, working Bergen County residents in need of medical care. Modeled on the Volunteers in Medicine program with a premise of “A Culture of Caring,” BVMI opened in 2009 thanks to efforts by Cassell and a commit- ted group of medical professionals. Today, BVMI’s medical volunteers and small part- time staff offer excellent care five days a week, provid- ing primary care and special programs in diabetes care and education, and in women’s health. BVMI’s successful partnerships with the county’s five major medical centers and 300 area medical specialists, spearheaded by Cassell and his colleagues, make it possible for patients to receive (continued on page 18) No-kill animal shelter gets makeover Sam Cassell Tax levy (continued from page 12) According to Hart, the budget line items as a percentage of the overall 2014 budget included: police salary and wages, 18 percent; the insurance group plan for all employees, 10 percent; salary and wages of other employees, nine percent; the oper- ating cost of the free public library, nine percent; municipal debt service, nine per- cent; salary and wages of the department of public works, six percent; pension costs for all employees, six percent; the reserve for uncollected taxes, five percent; and solid waste collection and disposal costs, five percent. Hart advised that the borough’s surplus will remain at $750,000 as will construction The Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. in Oakland was recently the scene of Save the Caged’s live reveal and Amarillo Grilling Barbecue block party. The afternoon reveal featured a live band, a Zumba class, giveaways, and the opportunity to adopt one of the pets currently making their home at the shelter. Save the Caged, a give-back project by “Hotel Impossi- ble’s” Blanche Garcia and Wigzi Pet Products CEO Nathan Chefetz, chose RBARI to benefit from their labors of love for the animals. Their mission is to give back in a big way to help animals in local shelters. Garcia and Chefetz have pooled resources and talent to perform makeovers for shelters in need. Each shelter code fees at $480,000 and the state aid the borough will receive is also anticipated to stay at $1,781,701. The borough’s budget goals are to con- tinue to decrease the municipality’s $13.9 million debt, stabilize the use of the surplus, fund capital expenditures in the operating budget, control expenses, and continue to reinforce the message of fiscal responsibil- ity in all departments in the borough. Moody’s Investor Service recently con- firmed the borough’s Aaa bond rating, which is held by only four municipalities in the county and only 16 in the state. The investor service included the follow- ing statement in its report, “Moody’s expects the borough’s financial position to remain satisfactory with healthy reserve levels given management’s history of conservative budgeting, implementation of formal finan- cial policies, and, use of forward planning.” is nominated through social media or by word of mouth. Members from Save the Caged visit the shelter and review each facility’s specific needs. The RBARI project involved a large-scale renovation of the shelter in only five. In addition to a crew of local contractors and volunteers, over 15 local businesses have made large donations of time and products totaling over $50,000 so far. Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. is a no-kill animal shelter located at 2 Shelter Lane in Oakland. For over 35 years, RBARI has been finding forever homes for approxi- mately 600 dogs and cats each year while helping hundreds (continued on page 18)