NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR RUSS BERRIE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARD

Nominations for the 2015 Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference will be accepted by The Russell Berrie Foundation through February 13. New Jerseyans who have made a significant difference in their communities through a lifetime of service or a single heroic act are eligible for cash awards of up to $50,000 or runner-up grants of $5,000 each. Members of the community are invited to nominate New Jersey residents whose deeds, carried out in the state, make them worthy of recognition.

Established in 1996 by the late Russell Berrie, founder of Russ Berrie and Company, Inc. and the Russell Berrie Foundation, and Ramapo College of New Jersey, the awards honor “unsung heroes” from throughout the state. Awards will be presented at a ceremony on May 1, 2015.

Last year, the top honorees included: a nurse practitioner who founded a family health center which has provided primary medical services to more than 3,000 underserved NJ residents; a women who founded a shelter for homeless pregnant women, mothers and children and who has dedicated herself to serving these clients for 25 years; and a man who created a facility which feeds the hungry full-time with the help of 130 volunteers.

Nomination forms are available on the Internet http://www.ramapo.edu/berrie-awards/. The deadline for entries is February 13. Info: madaawards@ramapo.edu.