Kentucky Region Board Member, Madeline Abramson, Receives National Red Cross Presidential Award for Excellence

The American Red Cross Kentucky Region is proud to announce that regional board member and volunteer, Madeline Abramson, has been selected to receive the National Red Cross Presidential Award for Excellence.

Madeline has been with the American Red Cross Louisville Area Chapter for nearly 25 years and in that time, has served as a living example of community service, leveraging her relationships to further the mission of the Red Cross by increasing statewide involvement with community partners, corporate leaders, increasing the number of volunteers throughout Kentucky, as well as helping support fundraising efforts.

The Presidential Award for Excellence is given each year to American Red Cross employees and volunteers who demonstrate superior job performance aligning with the organization’s priorities. This award is presented to only 30 Red Cross individuals across the country. She was recognized by Red Cross national CEO Gail McGovern and her Executive Team at a national awards dinner and ceremony held at the Red Cross Square in Washington, DC on Tuesday, March 28, 2017. 

Madeline’s extraordinary work as a chairperson of the statewide Volunteer Steering Committee has pave the way for the Kentucky Region to rebuild the Red Cross volunteer workforce infrastructure. Under her leadership, the steering committee has established groundbreaking programs such as: Volunteer Recruitment and Engagement Task Force Teams in 1 strategic locations throughout the state. This has resulted in the appointment of more than 30 leadership volunteers in key positions which spread throughout all lines of business. To ensure volunteers have a smooth intake experience, Welcome Teams have been formed in 10 locations and these teams paved the way for 1,236 volunteer to join our workforce in FY16. This contrasts with the 417 new volunteers in FY15--- a 280% increase. Madeline also led the charge to forma a Professional Development Training program for Red Cross employees and volunteer in FY16, resulting in an engagement workshop for all regional leadership, and a “Leading Through Change” seminar for the regional Disaster Services Team. She also led the region to a model of success, achieving 129% of the target in volunteer satisfaction.