More than 130 Red Cross supporters were on hand at the Eldred Preserve in Eldred, N.Y. on June 14th as the Sullivan Office honored two couples for their leadership in the community. The event celebrated Red Cross disaster response and preparedness education activities in the county.

Gary Schmidt, president of Schmidt's Wholesale, and Mary May Schmidt (left) received the 2007 Leadership Award. Gary is on the board of numerous Sullivan organizations including the Community College Foundation and the Partnership for Economic Development, and Mary May is an active volunteer who has served on the Advisory Board of the Red Cross in Sullivan and as a Director of Project Search, a Red Cross initiative that helps locate Holocaust survivors.

Phil Vallone, President of Rolling V Transportation Company, and Donna (right) received the 2007 Spirit of Sullivan Award. Phil, sits on the Town of Rockland Planning Board and is active in the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs. He is currently am advisory board member of the Chapter's Orange/Sullivan Area Office.  Donna works with Phil at Rolling V and is active in the Roscoe and Livingston Manor Chambers of Commerce.

Presenting the awards were (in center) featured speaker Joanne Rencher, Chief People Officer of the American Red Cross in Greater New York, and Dick Martinkovic, Chairman of the Sullivan County Advisory Board.