November 26, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Franklin Lakes Borough honors Mayor’s Volunteer Award recipients by Frank J. McMahon Franklin Lakes Mayor Frank Bivona recently presented the 2014 Mayor’s Vol- unteer Award to 10 residents who volun- teer for various activities in the borough. The recipients of this year’s award are Dawn Altamuro, Christine Christopoul, G Thomas Donch, Craig Goldman, Julius Lauber, Lynn Pagano, Cedric Perkins, Dina Robinson, Jacqueline Veliky, and Regina Venner. “The Mayor’s Volunteer Award rec- ognizes volunteers in the Franklin Lakes community who provide services and fill the needs of many that would not otherwise be met,” Bivona said. “Volunteerism is an integral part of the borough’s success with- out which the borough’s many emergency services, recreational, and social programs, would cease to exist. Volunteers have given tirelessly of their time throughout the years to benefit the residents of Franklin Lakes. “Volunteers are owed the borough’s gratitude and respect, and the Franklin Lakes 2014 Mayor’s Award can recognize those individuals who have given so self- lessly of their time and talent in service to others.” Bivona read a proclamation that was given to each recipient and he recounted the volunteer activities of each of them in alphabetical order. Altamuro has been a volunteer soccer, basketball, and softball coach for several years. She has been the director of the bor- ough’s soccer, basketball, and softball pro- grams, where she epitomized the Franklin Lakes Recreation philosophy: “Kids first; winning second.” Christopoul is a former Girl Scout leader, a member of borough’s recreation foundation and Recreation and Parks Com- mittee, and a former Woodside Avenue Parent Teacher Association board member and president. She is also a former Frank- lin Lakes Education Foundation member and president, an Iron Matt Committee member, a former Newcomers Club board member, and a Franklin Lakes Board of Education trustee. Donch was the mayor of the borough for 12 years. He has been an active member of the Franklin Lakes Fire Department for 40 years. He is also a former line officer and current president of Franklin Lakes Fire Company. Goldman is the borough’s emergency management coordinator. He has recruited and coordinated Community Emergency Response Team volunteers, the Emergency Management Auxiliary and Emergency Radio team (which Bivona said he has taken to the next level), and he has coordi- nated the borough’s response during recent storm-related disasters. Lauber has been a member of the Frank- lin Lakes Planning Board for over 50 years, serving as chairman for 18 years and vice chairman for 30 years. He is the former chair of Franklin Lakes Anniversary Cel- ebration, and a former coach for several recreation sports teams. Pagano is a CERT member and a member of the Emergency Radio Team and Emergency Management Point of Distribu- tion manager. She organized, recruited, and trained POD volunteers. In October, she managed a full-scale POD exercise. She manned the comfort station during Hurri- cane Sandy and during several recent snow- storms. Perkins has been an ambulance corps member since 2007. He developed the elec- tronic call sheet program for the corps, and is the top responder for corps in 2014 with over 150 calls. He is in charge of computers, and he is a senior driver for the corps. Robinson is a member of the Recreation and Parks Committee, a soccer liaison, and a member of Code of Conduct Commit- tee. She is a dedicated sports coach and is currently the girls’ soccer and girls’ travel (continued on page 22)