Helen wins Red Cross award

Woy Woy resident Helen Ukovic has won an Australian Red Cross service award.

The award is in recognition of 13 years of fundraising work on behalf of the Umina Beach branch of the Australian Red Cross.

Ms Ukovic said she started out volunteering in the Junior Red Cross and now volunteers at Woy Woy and is also a regular at the ARC stalls at Umina.

She received the award at a special ceremony in Sydney on May 8, World Red Cross Day.

Local resident Ms Rosemary Moore of Umina Beach branch was also recognised with a service award.

"I felt honored to win," Ms Ukovic.

"It was a big thrill; I have never won anything like that before.

"The Red Cross is an organisation I have always believed in.

"Everyone here is really dedicated to the cause.

"There are none of the divisions that sometime occur in large organisations.

"I encourage others who are interested to get involved."

Australian Red Cross is part of the world's largest humanitarian organisation, with almost 100 million volunteers and members in 186 countries.

Red Cross assists people in need, providing relief in times of crisis and care for the most vulnerable in Australia and around the world.

"Rosemary Moore and Helen Ukovic are among 62 volunteers and members whose dedication and loyalty to Red Cross has been recognised with awards to mark World Red Cross Day," Red Cross' NSW executive director Mr Lewis Kaplan said.

"The contribution and commitment of our long-standing members like Rosemary Moore and Helen Ukovic is vital to Red Cross - we couldn't do what we do without our 60,000 members and volunteers all across Australia."

Scott Hastings, 14 May 2009 Interviewee: Helen Ukovic, Woy Woy Press release, 12 May 2009 Lewis Kaplan, Red Cross NSW