Today is deadline for volunteer nominations

The recipients of the 2023 Mary B. Haase Lifetime Volunteer Award and the 2023 Volunteer of the Year will be announced April 3 at the Township Council.

They are being honored for their contributions to the community.

Refreshments will be served at 5:30 p.m. before the start of the meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the municipal building, 1480 Union Valley Road.

A panel of former mayors have chosen the Mary B. Haase Lifetime Volunteer Award recipient, who has exhibited a lifelong spirit of volunteerism. Former mayors Carl Richko, Glenn Wenzel, Robert Moshman and Phil Weisbecker met recently to choose that person.

Any resident may nominate any individual who lives or works in West Milford for Volunteer of the Year. Nominees should have volunteered their time, services or talents to benefit others during 2023.

The mayor and council members will select the Volunteer of the Year from the nominees.

Nomination forms are available in the Clerk’s Office, Recreation Center, Public Library & Community Center and on www.WestMilford.org under Township News.

The forms need to be returned to the Clerk’s Office no later than Friday, March 8 via fax to 973-728-2704, email to ClerksOffice1@WestMilford.org or mail to Clerk’s Office, 1480 Union Valley Road, West Milford, NJ 07480.

Representatives of township civic service and volunteer organizations are invited to make a brief presentation at the Township Council on April 3.

Presentation Request Forms are available in the Clerk’s Office, Recreation Center, Public Library and on www.WestMilford.org

To register your organization for a presentation, send the form via fax to 973-728-2704, email to ClerksOffice1@westmilford.org or mail to Clerk’s Office, 1480 Union Valley Road, West Milford, NJ 07480 no later than 4 p.m. March 22.

Early winners

Mary Byrnes Haase of Postbrook Farms and Roger Daugherty of High Crest Lake, both deceased, shared the first township volunteer honors in 1994. They were members of the original Environmental Commission.

Haase also served on the Planning Board and was an active leader at St. Joseph Church Echo Lake.

Officials then decided to present the award annually and named it in her honor.

The first recipients were Jack Cronen, now living in upstate New York, and the late William Zester of Sundown Farms. Cronen was a leader and volunteer of the First Aid Squad, and Zester volunteered on township boards and organizations.