Meet The FLOW Towns' 'Hometown Heroes'

HACKENSACK, NJ — U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer has been honoring those who provided aid to their neighbors during the pandemic through social media for much of the last year. Recently, he was able to meet some of them in person.

Gottheimer hosted the 5th District Hometown heroes Ceremony at the Hackensack Performing Arts Center on Friday, where he presented over 60 residents of the district with the award for "their dedication to helping improve the lives of their neighbors, families, and communities."

"We are lucky to have so many unsung heroes in our communities, whose quiet power of service goes on every day without the recognition they truly deserve. They just do it because they care. Today is their day," said Gottheimer.

"It goes without saying that the past nearly year and a half has been an incredibly challenging time for our country — with a pandemic looming over us, sick loved ones and neighbors, and a drumbeat of economic uncertainty. If you pick up the paper, turn on cable news or flip through social media, there is far more attention being placed on what's going wrong with America, and far too little attention on what’s going right. We should focus more on what unites us, as opposed to what divides us — and spend more time focusing on those who give back to our country and communities."

Watch the ceremony below:

Among those receiving recognition were Caron McCormick, of Oakland, and Dr. Heba Abdulla, of Franklin Lakes.

Abdulla, the founder of the American Muslim Community of Franklin Lakes, is also a doctor at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Chilton Memorial Hospital.

According to Gottheimer's Office, Abdulla "sponsored a variety of initiatives across the Muslim and medical communities, including an interfaith group at the El Zahara Islamic Center, the Women of Colour Engage program, which unites women around issues of equal justice, and also provides free skin cancer screenings to anyone in her community who needs it."

McCormick is an "all-around community leader who has served as the Vice-President of the Sports Association in Oakland that offers youth sports and academic classes, the head of the Oakland Youth Arts Program, and the co-founder of Let’s Talk Oakland, an initiative aimed at changing the culture surrounding mental health."

She is also an editor for the Oakland Journal.

"I am honored to receive the Hometown Heroes award from Congressman Josh Gottheimer," said McCormick, in a news release.

"I have loved volunteering for many Oakland organizations from the PTO, the Oakland Education Foundation, Public Events Committee, Let's Talk Oakland to name a few, but of all of these I am most proud of the work I did for the Sports Association of Oakland (SAO). It has been an honor to work with this wonderful group and I could not be more proud of all we have accomplished and all the lives we enriched through our work."

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