TRENTON, NJ – Department
of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Gwendolyn L. Harris presented
awards to seven department employees from Passaic County for
individual and/or team awards this year at the State’s
Public Service Recognition Program. There were 29 honorees
in all from DHS.
Madeline Cinque of Totowa, Claire Brueckmann
of Paterson and Tania Fernandez of Clifton
all received the Co-Worker Recognition Award. Cinque and Brueckmann
both work at the North Jersey Developmental Center in Totowa,
Cinque in the Business Office as Administrative Analyst 4
and Brueckmann in the Medical Records Unit as a Senior Clerk
Typist. Fernandez worked at the Division of Youth and Family
Services (DYFS) in Paterson as an Adoption
Processor and was then assigned to the Adoption Homefinding
Unit, where in 2000 she was promoted to supervisor.
Veronica Steward, Beverly Chambers, Mabel Givens, and Maurice
Thompson, all of Paterson, were awarded the
Team Partnership Achievement Award. All four work at the North
Jersey Developmental Center (NJDC) in Totowa
where in May 2002 they worked on the Groups for Environmental
Management (GEM) program that incorporates a system of facilitated
team meetings to promote employee empowerment, environmental
awareness and quality of life improvement for their clients.
An integral part of being able to hold group meetings rested
on the creation of the Training Relief Team (TRT). The TRT
rotates from living unit to living unit relieving staff of
their client service duties so that they can attend GEM sessions
together, resulting in NJDC being able to increase its staff
training 200 percent. Steward is the Cottage Training Supervisor
while the others are Cottage Training Technicians.
Over 1,500 state workers gathered at the Trenton War Memorial
for the Annual NJ State Public Service Recognition Awards
Ceremony, which included a pre-ceremony breakfast, compliments
of the NJ Department of Personnel, which organizes the annual
event.
Representatives from 26 state departments and agencies meet
monthly throughout the year to identify programs, awards and
events to recognize and honor public employees. The program
culminates in an annual statewide celebration to honor public
service award recipients, held during National Public Service
Recognition Week in May. Program award categories include
Longevity, Co-Worker Recognition; Team Work Partnership, and
Customer Service Excellence. The State award categories include
Heroism, Exceptional Service, Community Service, and Professional
Achievement. This program also includes a national award coordinated
by the National Public Service Roundtable in Washington DC.
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