Essential workers continue to play a vital role in helping our community through the COVID-19 crisis.
At Chaddsford Winery, we created this wine care package giveaway to express our gratitude to these heroes. After reading through hundreds of entries (261 to be exact!), we couldn't settle on just 10 and have decided to extend the winners circle to the top 15 individuals who inspired us the most!
We're sending our warmest thanks and love to all of the nominees and everyone who has continued to selflessly serve their community.
Congratulations, winners!
Name: Wanda Burgos-Rincon, Youth Development Director
"When the LACC Director of Family Support Services(FSS) retired at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wanda acted as interim director from March to July in addition to her responsibilities as Youth Development Director. As the Youth Development Director, Wanda lead the department as they transitioned before and after school programming into an emergency childcare site that provided full-day programming for the children of essential workers. As the interim FSS director, Wanda lead the department while they experienced a dramatic increase in demands for agency emergency assistance programs which include crisis alleviation support; which has provided over $300,000 to families in need of assistance with paying their rent/mortgage and utility bills; and the LACC Food Closet which has provided food to hundreds of families since the start of the pandemic."- Kelly
Name: Deanna Duschl, Cashier at ACME for 30+ Years
"
At the age of 60 and the pandemic hitting, my father told her to retire. But she cares too much for her shoppers that she felt the need to stay to help everyone in a time of need. She watches her grandkids during the day and then works late at night. And even after her shift ends, she would do any shopping for her grown children so we didn’t have to go into the grocery store with our kids" - Fallon
Name: Marge Felix, Social Worker in Nursing Care at the Philadelphia Protestant Home
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On March 12th, The Philadelphia Protestant Home Nursing Care closed to all visitors. From that moment forward Marge became the sole contact for the family members of many of the residents. Many residents are approaching the end of their lives which is a crucial time for family. She worked tirelessly each day comforting her residents while constantly updating and reassuring the families of the care their loved ones were receiving." - Angela
Name: Tom Gorsop, Railroad Mechanic for Septa
"[Tom] has been working on the trains every day since COVID-19 hit the world. He is such a dedicated man and does so much for his family. I am nominating him because he deserves happiness, a reward, and just something special to brighten up his day for everything that he contributes. He’s the absolute best and I love him so much!"- Ashley
Name: Ginny Housman, Director of Lehigh Valley's Children Centers
"
Ginny is not only an incredible leader in the field of child care, she's resilient, continuously optimistic, and a hilarious person to be around. Ginny is the type of frontline worker you want to be greeted by when dropping off your child for child care. She's warm, caring and always has everyone's safety in mind." - Bethany
Name: Melissa Huggins, RN
"
[Melissa] is a critical care nurse (RN) at Riddle Hospital in the ICU, but she is also a Nurse in the Navy Nurse Corps. Recently, she just got back from a deployment to NYC in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and was able to work alongside nurses at local hospitals there who were dealing with the overflow of sick patients. I am so proud of her and think that wine would be a gift she could surely appreciate after all she’s done!!"- Rhonda
Name: Christina Lynch, RN
"
Christina Lynch RN has been traveling working in emergency rooms from DELAWARE to PENNSYLVANIA to GEORGIA during this pandemic. She has 2 young children and a husband at home that she leaves for days at a time, sometimes weeks, to be on the front line and care for those who are ill before they even know what they are ill from. She risks her own life and health day in and day out traveling back and forth and often being the first point of contact with sick or dying patients...she works tirelessly to dedicate herself to healing others."- Stacey
Name: Patrolman McKeever, Wilmington Police Department
"Patrolman McKeever is a police officer with the Wilmington Police Department in Delaware. He is an extremely hard worker who believes in making connections between the Police Department and the local community. As a single father, he has been working tirelessly during this COVID time to not only protect his local community but also be there for his daughter Elena." - Christine
Name: Lorraine Miller, RN, MSN at Villanova Health Center
"
After Villanova’s campus closed, some students with covid stayed, including some international students; she selflessly cared for them with limited PPE, working overtime and assisted with their travel plans home coordinating between borders closing. Once her semester was over she started working at an antibody testing site and then did covid nasal swab testing for over 8 hours a day in >90deg heat, most days without a bathroom and covered in a plastic gown and her n95, ending each shift exhausted and dehydrated. She’s been grateful to contribute to our community during the pandemic, and begins and ends each day with a smile." - Morgan
Name: Melissa Miller, Vet Tech at Metropolitan Animal Hospital
"[Melissa] has been pulling many long days and working so hard to care for so many animals each day. During this pandemic, owners are not allowed into the vet hospital as they could potentially spread the virus. Melissa has been working even harder to help owners become more comfortable with handing over their fur babies in an emergency situation. She loves all animals and does a great job helping them day in and day out!" - Rachael
Name: Meghan Mulhern, Speech-Language Pathologist
"
Meghan is a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who has been working frontlines in the ICUs and throughout the hospital helping those affected by COVID, particularly with swallowing issues after prolonged intubation, as well as cognitive issues as a result of COVID. She has tirelessly worked full time in Delaware and even taking numerous shifts at various hospitals in the Philadelphia region on the weekends as the need for speech therapy has been dire. Unfortunately, SLPs work on the frontlines has been grossly overlooked with regards to recognition and appreciation during this pandemic."- Jessie
Name: Dr. Richa Pursnani, OB/GYN Resident
"
Dr. Pursnani is an OB/GYN resident at Temple living out her childhood dream. During this pandemic, she is at the hospital for 14-hour shifts taking care of vulnerable women who need access to healthcare. This population includes pregnant women who are delivering babies, women with gynecologic concerns and seeing pregnant, COVID positive patients. The world doesn't stop having babies even in a pandemic and Dr. Pursnani continues to bring joy to families' lives everyday and loves every second of it." - Burges
Name: Alvin St. Paul, HVAC Manager at Newark Beth Israel Hospital
"My dad oversees the repair, installation and maintenance of the heating, cooling and ventilation systems used in his hospital. When people think of healthcare workers, they typically think of doctors, nurses etc, however, my Dad’s job is critical to keeping the hospital up and running! His work often goes unnoticed, but he continues to work hard to get the job done with no complaints!" - Amanda
Name: Tamira Stewart, 3rd Grade Teacher
"Tamira is such a deserving essential worker because during this pandemic she has gone the extra mile to ensure that the virtual learning experience has been fun and engaging experience for her 3rd grade class. Her passion for teaching and seeing children succeed is strongly represented in her work on a daily basis." - Ashley
Name: Officer Sidney Stockman, Philadelphia
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Mr. Stockman is Philadelphia Police Officer with over 20+ years serving the citizens in City Of Philadelphia. He is kind hearted and quick witted, and when the call came for duty to protect and serve our city, Officer Stockman quickly answered. With so much negativity surrounding law enforcement, I thought it would be nice to honor a person who actually lives true to the fundamental idea that Black Lives Matter." - Tara
