VA Names Top Volunteers in Hudson Valley for 2016

From Hudson Valley Health Care System: With the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service celebrating over years of support to America’s Heroes, four local volunteers contributing time to the VA Hudson Valley Health Care System earned top awards April 28 for their efforts during 2016.

Claire Keating of Rosendale and Bob McGuirl of New Rochelle were named the female and male volunteers of the year for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Montrose campus. Nancy Sekolec of Hyde Park and Gerald Browne of Fishkill were named the male and female volunteers of the year for the Castle Point campus.

Other volunteers received awards. From the Castle Point campus, they included Jeffrey Shapiro, Presidential Lifetime Achievement; Alfred Polidore, 20,000 Park Achievement Award; Richard D. Consorte, 7,500 Hour Dedicated Service; Johnny W. Simpson, 6,250 Hour Award Pin; William Dengler 5,000 Hour Award Pin.

From the FDR Montrose campus: Norman Bussel and Melanie Bussel, Presidential Lifetime Achievement; James Price, Waldemar Stoppacher, and William J. Smith 7,500 Hour Dedicated Service; Sheldon S. Rector 6,250 h Hour Award Pin.

At VA Hudson Valley in fiscal year 2016, more than 350 of volunteers provided more than 86,562 total hours of service to Veterans. VA Hudson Valley Health Care System received donated funds of almost $846,000 and its volunteer transportation network thrives with 18 volunteers, mostly Veterans, who worked more than 9,685 hours. During that time, they made nearly 1,950 trips to transport Veterans. This summer, VA Hudson Valley will be receiving two new 2017 Ford Transit 10 passenger vans due to the efforts of the Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 144, to support the DAV Volunteer Transportation Network.

“This year’s theme was “Volunteers are America’s Pride.” We are extremely proud and genuinely appreciate the value of their commitment of time, great contributions, and devotion to serving Veterans. They are the soul of the essence of what an American and a human being truly is," said Yvette Rodriguez-Cacho, Voluntary Services Chief.

The VA Hudson Valley Health Care System is a Joint Commission-accredited, medical and surgical facility serving Veterans across six counties and 3,500 square miles. The VA Hudson Valley Health Care System consists of two campuses in Montrose and Castle Point, N.Y. as well as outpatient clinics in Carmel, Goshen, Monticello, New City, Pine Plains, Port Jervis, and Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The system serves approximately 24,000 Veterans annually.

Founded in 1946 to provide for our nation's Veterans while they are cared for by VA health care facilities, VA’s Voluntary Service program is celebrating over 70 years of service to Veterans. It is one of the largest centralized volunteer programs in the Federal government with more than 7,400 national and community organizations support the program. Volunteers have provided over 760 million hours of service since 1946.

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