CRI Employee Receives Top Award from Community Health Charities
NEW YORK, NY – May 8, 2009 – Alfred Massidas, CRI general manager and controller, was named the recipient of the 2009 Community Health Charities of America (CHC) Outstanding Community Service Volunteer Award.
The award salutes the volunteer that has made extraordinary achievements and contributions to CHC through dedicated leadership and volunteer excellence. Through his work, Alfred is honored for providing service to CHC at both the national and local levels.
At the awards ceremony, then-incoming chairman of the Community Health Charities of Amerca James M. Burns (pictured below) lauded Mr. Massidas in his presentation of the award (transcript below).
CRI congratulates Mr. Massidas on this outstanding achievement, and extends its thanks to him for all his work on behalf of the Cancer Research Institute and the other members of the Community Health Charities of America.
Below is a transcript of the award presentation by James M. Burns, CHC chairman of the board:
Finally, our last award salutes the volunteer who has made extraordinary achievements and contributions to Community Health Charities through dedicated leadership and volunteer excellence. A minimum of five years with CHC (which may also include prior association with NVHA and CHA) is expected. Through their work, this volunteer has provided service to the organization at both the national and local levels.
This person has served on the affiliates boards of New Jersey, New York, California, National Capital Area, and Florida, just to name a few. Using the word "serving" is probably the wrong word for this person. This person is a leader for Community Health Charities at the affiliate and national level, and probably has never been someone who passively just serves as a volunteer.
When you ask Community Health Charities of California what they say about this person, it goes something like this, "His integrity, determination and professionalism have made CHC of California a superior organization which has provided the affiliate the ideal platform for its next period of growth and achievement. His collaborative demeanor and approach to issues has garnered him the utmost respect of the California staff and Board volunteers. He has also proven to be a rich resource for a new finance staff learning the many nuances of the federation model finance system."
While working hard in California, he was also helping New Jersey, where he served on the Income Development, Employee Benefits, and Budget Committees.
Then turn your ear to the National Capital Area of Community Health Charities and you hear something like, "He brings his accounting expertise and knowledge of CHC to his role as chair of our Auditing Committee. Since its inception he has been invaluable in helping us. His extensive knowledge of CHC as a whole, his work with several other affiliates has allowed our affiliate the opportunity to learn through him some of the best practices of our CHC colleagues for implementation in the National Capital Area."
The recipient of this award takes the job seriously, does his homework, comes to meetings, is prepared, and takes ownership. He is the epitome of what a volunteer is supposed to be.
Perhaps more important, is that he understands the big picture of Community Health Charities. A tireless advocate for CHC affiliates -- he is also committed to the nationwide picture of Community Health Charities. He has served as the national member representative for the Cancer Research Institute for the past 14 years, as well as a number of committees at the national level. More recently, his work on the Task Force for Corporate Restructuring provided both national and affiliate perspectives that was invaluable to the team’s deliberations in the area of organizational finances, giving Booz Allen Hamilton, the consultant on the project a run for their money.
It is my honor and privilege to present and congratulate Alfred Massidas, the general manager and controller of the Cancer Research Institute, as the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Community Service Volunteer Award.
Media Contact
Brian Brewer, Director of Communications
Cancer Research Institute
(212) 688-7515 ext. 242 or bbrewer@cancerresearch.org
About the Community Health Charities of America
Cancer Research Institute is a member of the Community Health Charities (CHC) of America, which provides a list of the nation’s most respected health agencies to employees during annual "Giving Campaigns." Contributions are automatically deducted from paychecks and go towards the charity or charities the employees choose to support. CRI receives about $250,000 annually through CHC from private sector sources (about $1 million from all sources). With additional corporate partners, this number could grow significantly. To learn more about how your company can become a CHC Corporate Partner, please contact Alfred Massidas at (212) 688-7515, ext. 237.
About the Cancer Research Institute
The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), established in 1953, is the world’s only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to transforming cancer patient care by advancing scientific efforts to develop new and effective immune system-based strategies to prevent, diagnose, treat, and eventually cure all cancers. Guided by a world-renowned Scientific Advisory Council that includes three Nobel laureates and 30 members of the National Academy of Sciences, CRI has invested more than $225 million in support of research conducted by immunologists and tumor immunologists at the world’s leading medical centers and universities, and has contributed to many of the key scientific advances that demonstrate the potential for immunotherapy to change the face of cancer treatment. To learn more, go to www.cancerresearch.org