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The students of Raritan Valley Community College’s award-winning Service Learning Program have been honored with the 2018 New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award for their extraordinary volunteer service to the community. The prestigious awards program annually highlights the spirit of civic engagement among New Jersey’s 1.5 million volunteers and awards medals in 22 categories of volunteer service. The RVCC students were honored in the “Youth Volunteer Group” category.

RVCC Service Learning students Amber Lindsay (Somerset), Eshley Pinto (Somerville), Anyanna Onwumelu (Highland Park), Lesly Garro (Bound Brook), Sindy Serrano-Maradiaga (Hillsborough), Aaron Habrack (Manville), Phebean Messeh (Sayreville) and Janet Adeleke (Hillsborough), as well as Nursing faculty members Beryl Stetson and Elliot Stetson (both of Flemington), accepted the award at a ceremony and celebration of volunteerism, held June 2 at the War Memorial in Trenton.

“It is truly an honor to have RVCC’s Service Learning students recognized with the 2018 New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award. The award highlights the College’s commitment to preparing our students for a lifetime of volunteerism. It also acknowledges RVCC’s role as an invested community partner addressing important local needs,” said RVCC President Michael J. McDonough.

"The nomination for the Service Learning students from Raritan Valley Community College detailed the work of over 1,000 students contributing over 50,000 hours of service to hundreds of local community organizations. Raritan Valley Community College Service Learning students addressed critical issues including hunger, homelessness, illiteracy, environment, disabilities, domestic violence, substance abuse, health, and animal welfare. The achievements of the Raritan Valley Community College students typify the Jeffersonian ideal of an 'informed and involved' citizenry. That is why they are the recipients of the 2018 ‘Youth Volunteer Group’ Jefferson Award,” said Robert Provost, National Board of Selectors, Jefferson Awards Foundation.

RVCC’s Service Learning Program serves 250 community organizations in Somerset and Hunterdon Counties through 75 different courses and student clubs. The students’ volunteer work for local organizations is the economic equivalent of donating more than $1 million in services to the community.

RVCC students serve at preK-12 schools, ESL centers, after-school programs, nursing homes, adult day care centers, museums, libraries, court houses, probation departments, youth correctional facilities, and consumer affairs offices, as well as homeless, domestic violence and animal shelters. Their efforts have contributed to lower high school dropout rates, reduced pov-erty, and economic revitalization of diverse, healthy and sustainable communities.

In addition to the state honor, RVCC’s Service Learning Program has received national recognition by being named to the President’s Community Service Honor Roll “With Distinction” in two categories: General Community Service and Education. In the General Community Service category, RVCC was the only community college in the country, and one of only two colleges in NJ, to receive this honor “with distinction.” In the Education category, RVCC was the only community college in NJ—and one of only 38 colleges nationwide— to receive the distinction. Since the Honor Roll was launched, RVCC has been named to the list every year and first achieved the honor “With Distinction” in 2006.

The Jefferson Awards were established in 1972 as the official recognition program of the United States Senate. They are considered America’s highest honor for public service and volunteerism. In New Jersey the awards are also the official recognition program of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Volunteerism, administered by a partnership that includes the NJ Office of Volunteerism, NJ Advance Media, the Community Foundation of New Jersey, and corporate sponsors, such as PNC Bank, PSEG, BD and others.

For additional information about the New Jersey State Governor's Jefferson Awards’ nomination process, visit http://www.njgovernorsawards.com/.

Raritan Valley Community College’s main campus is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. Serving Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for close to 50 years, RVCC is an educational and cultural center that is nationally recognized for its innovative programming, service to the community and environmental leadership. The College offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates, as well as career training, professional development, and adult and youth personal enrichment courses. The College also has a performing arts center and planetarium.

RVCC is committed to offering a quality and affordable education through effective teaching, liaisons with the community’s businesses, and state-of-the-art technology. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 7, 2018

Media contact: Donna Stolzer, 908-526-1200, ext. 8383

PR #160