Rep. Mikie Sherrill Honors Greater Morristown Residents, Workers As 2021 Heroes

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The pandemic raged on, but many Greater Morristown residents, employees and volunteers kept pushing. Rep. Mikie Sherrill opened nominations to the public to honor members of New Jersey's 11th Congressional District as 2021 heroes.

"This was an opportunity to remind our everyday heroes — teachers, healthcare providers, first responders, family members, volunteers or others who have impacted another person's life in a positive way — that our community is incredibly grateful for all of their work," Sherrill said.

Here were the nominees affiliated with Greater Morristown:

Greg Supron, volunteer chair of the Mayo Performing Arts Center Board of Trustees, Morristown

Nominated by his colleague, Allison Larena

“On March 12, 2020, like so many other businesses and non-profit organizations, Mayo Performing Arts Center had to shutter our doors and reinvent how we serve our community. Throughout this extremely challenging time with so much uncertainty, Greg Supron and the MPAC Board of Trustees demonstrated steady and thoughtful leadership as we navigated through one of the darkest times in the theater's 84 year history. With encouragement, guidance and generous support from the board, MPAC remained a beacon of light for our community throughout the pandemic. I am profoundly grateful to Greg for his unwavering support of me, the MPAC staff, and the patrons we serve. Although there is still uncertainty ahead, the theater is on solid footing and looks forward to a brighter future as we continue to provide outstanding performances and education and outreach programs for our patrons.”

JoAnn Quattro, executive director of Children on the Green, Morristown

Nominated by her colleague, Jody Marcus

“JoAnn Quattro, Executive Director of the nonprofit Children on the Green in Morristown, showed unwavering dedication and commitment to the children and parents of our community. She spent countless hours crafting Covid guidelines that met state and federal standards for childcare centers, waded through ever changing requirements for federal and state loans and grants to keep our center in operation, she managed and educated our staff to be Covid ready, compliant, and how to keep the children and themselves safe. She closed and opened and reclosed and reopened as Covid cases rose and fell throughout our community. She worked long days, substituting for staff who were reluctant to come back to work, for those who quit, for those who refused to get vaccinated - all the while writing grants, transitioning from YMCA operated to independently operated and informing and reassuring parents of the safety of their children while running the center. JoAnn’s efforts were and continue to be heroic – going above and beyond expectation and duty. Our board of directors owes a great deal to her and our Director of Operations – Andrew Cattano for keeping our center open, safe and joyful havens for children in traumatic times, for those families in need, for those who live in shelters, for those children whose parents are health care or front line workers themselves and for those who can’t fully afford childcare. They knew that those families who had to work from the beginning of Covid shutdown and through it were the families we needed to provide day care for and made sure that as soon as we were legally able to open, that we did. JoAnn and Andrew are directly responsible for the survival of this invaluable resource to our community, for Children on the Green is the only childcare center in New Jersey that provides full scholarships to children referred to us by local homeless and battered women’s shelters.”

Kathy Pigott, community organizer, Roseland

Nominated by her friend, Michael Slattery Sr.

“Despite physical handicaps, Kathy organizes community help events all year long.

"January: LoveLy Ladies Collection for Jersey Battered Women’s Shelter. February: Adopt a Valentine School age children make Valentines cards for residents of assistant living facilities. March: Sure Shot …organized and managed volunteers to assist those needing help getting the vaccines. Walk in our Shoes. New white socks were distributed to the homeless at Penn Station, Newark. April: Over 100 small Easter baskets filled with candy and toys were distributed to those in need. May: gifts were given to homeless women and those in shelters. June: Hoodie collection. July: Restocked local food pantry. September: For Our Troops Collection. Sent holiday boxes to men and women on active military duty. October: collected over 600 lbs of leftover Halloween candy and given to Market St Mission in Morristown and the Caldwell Food Pantry. November: Thanksgiving in a Bag. Non perishable food items placed in a bag and given to any family that asks. December: For Our Troops Collection. 137 boxes filled and sent to troops around the world. Including USS Carl Vinson and USS America."

Larry Gross, firefighter and EMT captain, Morris Plains

Nominated by his coworker, Stuart Brown

“Larry has led the Minutemen daily 911 response EMS operations through the pandemic with hardly a day off. He organizes every crew for every shift, trains ambulance drivers, orders all medical supplies, and manages the maintenance of 3 ambulances. He personally is always one of the top responders to alarms every month. And this is only his side job in addition to being a firefighter captain in Morristown.”

Laura Quinn, middle school music teacher, Morristown

Nominated by her spouse, Nicholas M. D'Ambrosio

“My wife Laura, through pandemic, pregnancy, profession, and marriage, has endured like a trooper since March 2020, purchasing our home, bringing our son into the world, teaching remotely and then in person, all while still being a fully engaged wife, (new) mother and educator. Quite possibly the greatest life juggler our own time, persistently putting herself last, she's managed to keep all the balls in the air (old, new, pandemic) with quiet, dignity and grace and should be recognized for all that she does not just for her own child, but for all the children who rely on her for stability, joy, and a break from the blur of the world outside her classroom. My wife is my source of endless joy, even during all of the madness of the last 21 months, she has managed to keep it, keep us, keep our family, and keep our whole world safe and glued together.”

Melissa Spiotta, Morris Board of Education President, Morristown

Nominated by her friend, Renee Bogert

“First you need to know that Melissa is a well regarded community leader who is fully committed to our education system through her work as Morristown BoE President and actively supporting our local residents and businesses through her volunteer efforts. Melissa is known for her positive spirit, kindness, generosity, and commitment to bettering our community. During the pandemic, Melissa saw a need to connect and communicate in order to support the needs of our Morristown Hospital frontline workers and Morristown local businesses. She created a Facebook group called MORRISTOWN HELPS that became the epicenter of communication during the pandemic. Melissa actively posted opportunities for residents to support frontline workers through food and protective equipment donations. This site connected those in need of food, clothing or PPE with residents wanting to help. And through the purchase of food, residents were supporting local restaurants who were struggling to stay open. Additionally Melissa’s support of the Morristown Rotary Club’s Operation Hunger programs helped the club to raise over $30,000, which funded the purchase meals from local restaurants and provided to non-profits to feed the food insecure in Morris County.Melissa grew up in Morristown, raised her child here, and is a hometown hero committed to giving back to the community she loves.”

Kevin Kelly, Trades-Customer Service, Morristown

Nominated by his friend and fellow scout leader, Paul Critchley

“Despite employment transition, Covid restrictions, challenging work shifts and the demands of caring for an adult autistic son - Kevin Kelly has remained committed to the Boy Scouts of America Troop 34. The Troop is sponsored by Monsignor John Hart and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish located in Morristown NJ. Kevin has diligently and faithfully honored his role of Troop ScoutMaster throughout the Covid crisis. He has made extraordinary efforts to continue the Scouting program for the Scouts of NJ-11 by organizing weekly Scout meetings, coordinating monthly Scout campouts, participating in scout advancement meetings, troop leadership meetings; all while instituting social distancing and Covid protocols for the benefit of our Scouts, Troop and Parish. Kevin remains a constant source of guidance and inspiration to the Scouts and adult leaders of Troop 34. Kevin teaches and lives the Scout Oath and Scout Law every day. He is TRUSTWORTHY, LOYAL, HELPFUL, FRIENDLY, COURTEOUS, KIND, OBEDIENT, CHEERFUL, THRIFTY, BRAVE, CLEAN and REVERENT. Kevin is a NJ-11 hero!”

Pastor Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams Jr., pastor of Bethel AME Church, Morristown

Nominated by his friend, Mary Ellen Levine

“As pastor of a historically African Methodist Episcopal Church which serves a mainly African American neighborhood, I met Pastor and his wife, Teresa, when I was looking to bring nursing students into the community for a health project. Pastor opened his doors and it was then I began to really appreciate the wonderful blessing he and his church are to the community. The church provides food and fellowship as well as support for all, including those with financial hardship and those who struggle with addiction. I also recall how Pastor Williams took on the fight to bring much needed funding and attention to the flooding that has yet to be rectified as the township looks to further develop the area. Finally, I was enamored by his fostering the love and support to bring his daughter into ministry as she provided a meaningful and strong message of family and faith to the sermon I attended with my nursing students, as they prepared to address the congregation with their project. I think this servant to the community and faith is deserving of recognition as a 2021 Hero. Thank you.”

Theresa Piliero, nurse practitioner, Morris Township

Nominated by her spouse, Peter Piliero

“When the pandemic hit, Theresa was furloughed from her job running the health clinic at ADP's Florham Park site. Then when the COVID vaccines became available she knew she had to get involved to ensure fellow New Jerseyans could get vaccinated. She initially worked at the Meadowlands mega-site and then subsequently volunteered at the Morris County mega-site. She worked 12 hours days to ensure people could get protected and in so doing is a healthcare hero. In addition throughout the pandemic she has continued her incredible dedication to advocating for common sense gun laws as a Moms Demand Action volunteer.”

Carolyn Lake, executive director of Interfaith Food Pantry Network, Morris Plains

Nominated by her husband, Robert Lake

“In this trying time food insecurity has increased drastically in our community. Carolyn, along with her team at the Interfaith Food Pantry Network stepped up to the challenge to make sure everyone got the help they needed. While much of the country shut down, Carolyn and her team stepped up and worked tirelessly to keep this important pipeline open for our community.”

Thanks for reading. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter and follow the Morristown Patch Facebook page.