J&J donates $5,000 to Manville Rescue Squad
which will be added to fund for new ambulance
By:Laura Pelner
Volunteer Gregg Aleo’s service to the Manville First Aid and Rescue Squad won’t be soon forgotten, thanks to a $5,000 grant from Johnson & Johnson that will go toward purchasing a new ambulance for the borough.
The squad received the grant because of Mr. Aleo, a borough resident and senior analyst at NCS, which is a Johnson & Johnson company. Mr. Aleo applied for and was awarded the Johnson & Johnson Volunteer Recognition Grant for 2001 the $5,000 that goes along with the award will go directly to the First Aid and Rescue Squad.
"It’s good that people see that we get recognized once in a while," said Mr. Aleo, who’s been a volunteer with the Manville squad for about a year and a half.
Mr. Aleo said he began volunteering following the floods from Hurricane Floyd. In 1999 he went to local houses and helped people, especially elderly residnets, empty and clean their basements and he did a lot of manual labor.
"My wife and I lent equipment to people, my wife lent clothes to people, whatever was needed at the time," he said.
After becoming involved during the floods, Mr. Aleo decided he wanted to do more so he joined the Manville First Aid and Rescue Squad. He is also a member of the Ortho First Aid Squad and he has worked with the Red Cross.
Mr. Aleo said he was honored to receive the recognition award and he knows it will really help in Manville since the squad is self-supported. The squad cannot purchase equipment without such support and funds.
"It’s important for us to get these kinds of things," Mr. Aleo said. "Without these grants and support we can’t provide support. I’m passionate about it, I think it’s important. There’s a lot of people that need medical care; everybody relies on the volunteers."
Mr. Aleo said he plans to continue to seek money for Manville’s volunteers, especially from big companies like Johnson & Johnson.
"Part of my next crusade is to go to some of these big companies and try and get them to donate," he said. "It’s nice to see companies like Johnson & Johnson that can say ‘we recognize you’re doing something,’ and the money does help."
Marlene Peluso, secretary to the rescue squad, said it’s wonderful the Manville volunteers got the grant. She said it’s an honor for Mr. Aleo and the entire squad to be recognized as an organization.
Mrs. Peluso also said this is the first time an individual in the squad has ever been recognized like this.
Mr. Aleo was one of 10 people who received the recognition from Johnson & Johnson. He said to get the award he had to submit a paragraph about his volunteer work and get a letter of recommendation from the squad captain. His application was reviewed by a panel from Johnson & Johnson; the panel picked winners from many different types of agencies.