CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE AWARDS CONGRESSIONAL AWARD OF DISTINCTION TO MARY JO ALBERT
(Rochester, N.Y.)—Today, Congressman Joe Morelle visited St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center to present long-time volunteer Mary Jo Albert with the Congressional Award of Distinction in recognition of her years of service and significant contributions to our community.
“It is my honor to recognize Mary Jo Albert for her extraordinary work with St. Joseph’s by presenting her with the Congressional Award of Distinction,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “Mary Jo has spent more than a decade volunteering her time and energy to bettering the lives of others. Her selflessness has made a profound and lasting impact on all those who call Rochester home, and it is a privilege to recognize her today.”
Jennifer Sahrle, St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center's Executive Director, said: "Volunteerism remains a core tenet of St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center. Over our 30-year history, we've built and nurtured a culture where people with all kinds of skills are able to contribute to the success of our organization. Mary Jo Albert helped us build this group, and we lovingly referred to her as our Volunteer, Volunteer Coordinator for 15 years. We are truly grateful for her service. Her dedication lives on at the Center through our current volunteer program. In 2023 alone, we hosted 388 unique volunteers who put in over 31,000 volunteer hours. These folks play a critical role in the functioning of our Center helping from patient care to painting; volunteers are a core constituency of the Center."
Mary Jo Albert served as the Volunteer Coordinator at St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center from 2008-2023, where she led orientations, helped with record keeping, assisted with annual fundraising, and was often known to bring a new bouquet of fresh flowers with her every week. Mary Jo also volunteered with other organizations in our region, including Catholic Family services—assisting with parenting programs at their homeless shelter—and the House of John Golf Tournament fundraiser in Clifton Springs, which she ran for over a decade.
Countless friends and family members of Mary Jo’s shared stories of her going above-and-beyond to organize food drives, drive neighbors to medical appointments, and help friends with errands during times of crisis. Whenever there is a need in her community, Mary Jo is the first to offer her time and resources to help fill the gap.
The goal of Congressman Morelle’s Congressional Award of Distinction is to recognize those in Rochester who personify the best of our community through individual action or work with an organization. The award is also designed to recognize the unsung heroes of our community—those who work every day in service of others and expect nothing in return. Mary Jo is the second-ever recipient of this award.
If someone you know may be deserving of the Congressional Award of Distinction, fill out this form on Congressman Morelle’s website for consideration.
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