Christiana Care celebrates 2018 Champions of Service

Christiana Care’s 2018 Champions of Service awards ceremony, April 25 at the John H. Ammon Medical Education Center, celebrated extraordinary people who serve their community.

Jefferson Award

The Jefferson Awards program is a prestigious national recognition system established in 1972 to honor individuals for excellence in community and public service in our nation.

Nicole McCarry, BSN, RN, who works in the Wilmington Hospital Emergency Department at Christiana Care, was honored with the Jefferson Award for her service to developing nations through Hands International. McCarry was chosen to represent Christiana Care nationally traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Jefferson Awards national event. After participating in several medical missions with the organization, she now serves on the Hands International board and works directly with nurses organizing medical relief missions to populations in need around the globe.

Winners for the annual Jefferson Award at Christiana Care included Carmella Longobardi, MSW, Stephanie Turner, PA-C; Nicole McCarry, BSN, RN; Cindy Siu, M.D., and Elizabeth Austin, BS, RRT-ACCS

Community Hero Award

The Community Hero Award was presented to Gertrude Abel of Wilmington, who has volunteered with the Ministry of Caring for many years. Nominees for the award included Jeanne T. Checkel, an active member of the Junior Board of Christiana Care since 1975; First State School volunteer Dennis Christy; Wilmington Hospital volunteer Nina Hubbert; Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute volunteer Christina Lake; and Guest Services volunteer Michelle Parsley.

Young Person Role Model Award

Three young women were awarded the Young Person Role Model Award.

Noelly Abreu is a dedicated volunteer at Christiana Care, serving in the lab, as a front desk greeter at the Center for Heart & Vascular Health, in the pharmacy and in the pediatric office at Wilmington Hospital. She is best known for her volunteer efforts on behalf of the Perry Initiative at Johns Hopkins University, a non-profit that encourages women to pursue careers in orthopaedic surgery and engineering.

Jane Lyons is on a personal mission to help young people overcome obstacles. After learning that a boy from her neighborhood made some bad choices after his parents divorced and ended up in a detention center, she and her brother created an organization called Youth Overcoming Obstacles. They raised funds to help kids take control of their lives and get on better footing.

Candace Foreman, an activist and young woman of great passion, energy and drive, has taken on a hands-on role in the Kensington area in Philadelphia, where she has volunteered for The Rock Ministries, an organization that offers a variety of services to those in the greatest need in the community. She also has interned at the Christina Cultural Art Center’s Future Entrepreneurs and Creative Industry Project in Wilmington.