On April 20, the American Red Cross Central Coast Chapter honored 12 local residents and two community partners at their annual recognition event for chapter volunteers from Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.
Sandy Williamson: Biomedical Services Donor Ambassador Program Award.
Jamshid Kiani of Felton received the chapter’s top honor, the Clara Barton Award for Meritorious Leadership named after the Red Cross founder.
In his eight years as a Red Cross volunteer, Kiani has achieved a high level of competence in many disaster areas. He cares deeply and collaborates with volunteers and partners to achieve the best outcomes for the community.
Jamshid works with the Regional Response Management Team and recently became training manager.
He is a patient, skilled disaster advance-level instructor for new Red Cross disaster teams and volunteers.
Jamshid Kiani
Local volunteers received these awards:
- Disaster Cycle Services — Extraordinary Commitment and Dedication Award: Janet Packer (Aptos)
- Biomedical Services — Donor Ambassador Program: Diana Andreatta (Monterey) and Sandy Williamson (Aptos)
- Community Engagement Award: Megan Erk (Santa Cruz)
- Disaster Cycle Services — Extraordinary Leadership: Tom Wiley (Monterey), Sal Duran (San Benito) and Megan Erk (Santa Cruz County)
- Biomedical Services — Transportation Specialist Program: Patty Montmorency (Monterey)
- New Volunteer Award: Melody Heilmann (Santa Cruz)
- Department Support Services Award: Jill Petker (Monterey)
- Teamwork and Collaboration Award: Penny Mount and Amber Houser (Monterey)
- Good Neighbor & Partnership Award: Driscoll’s
- Community Engagement Award: Environmental Innovations
- Volunteer of the Year Award: John Crepeau (San Benito)
Janet Packer: Disaster Cycle Services Extraordinary Commitment and Dedication Award.
The annual recognition event honors the work of all local volunteers who dedicate many hours of service to the Red Cross and their local communities.
“This past year, I’m incredibly grateful to the 430 Central Coast Chapter volunteers who contributed more than 16,323 hours, making a difference in the lives of the people we serve,” said Michele Averill, Red Cross Central Coast CEO. “Some of our volunteers were also personally impacted by the 2023 winter storms and flooding, and these dedicated humanitarians continued to serve our communities. Thank you for all your work and dedication to the Red Cross mission.”