Honor Jose Santiago Service

Senate Resolution No. 3267 BY: Senator BRESLIN COMMENDING Jose Santiago upon the occasion of his selection to represent the Capital Region in the national Jefferson Awards competition in a virtual event to be conducted in September of 2020 WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the people of the State of New York to recognize and acknowledge outstanding individuals within our midst who have made significant contributions to the quality of life therein; and WHEREAS, A great community is only as great as those persons and organizations that provide exemplary service, whether through participation in voluntary programs or simply through a lifetime of good citizenship; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend Jose Santiago upon the occasion of his selection to represent the Capital Region in the national Jefferson Awards competition in a virtual event to be conducted in September of 2020; and WHEREAS, The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition program which honors community and public service throughout the United States; and WHEREAS, In 1972, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, United States Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Sam Beard, Chairman of the National Development Council, founded the American Institute for Public Service to establish a "Nobel Prize" for public and community service on both the national and local level, the Jefferson Awards; and WHEREAS, The Jefferson Awards, whose stated mission is "to recognize, inspire and activate volunteerism and public service in communities, workplaces and schools across America," serve as a "Call to Action for Volunteers"; and WHEREAS, On the local level, Jefferson Awards recipients are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward, while national award recipients represent a "Who's Who" of outstanding Americans; and WHEREAS, Jose Santiago of Colonie, New York, has taken on many volunteer positions to help alleviate human suffering, exemplifying the mission of the American Red Cross; he directly supports the Red Cross' Operations Department by maintaining fleet and providing vital support; and WHEREAS, As a Disaster Response Team member, Jose Santiago also provides boots on the ground support to families when fires, floods and disasters hit; additionally, volunteering in the Home Fire Preparedness campaign, he has installed smoke detectors in homes and provided fire safety training, saving over 700 lives; and WHEREAS, Furthermore, Jose Santiago's welcoming demeanor and Spanish language skills are impressive tools in diverse communities; and WHEREAS, Jose Santiago was deployed 23 times to 13 different disasters; he helped deliver food, supplies, and life support in addition to aiding in over 4,000 hours of service with the Red Cross; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when a person of such noble aims and accomplishments is brought to our attention it is appropriate to publicly proclaim and commend them for the edification and emulation of others; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commend Jose Santiago upon the occasion of his selection to represent the Capital Region in the national Jefferson Awards competition, noting his exemplary service to his community and extending to him heartfelt best wishes for a future of continued purposeful success and well-being; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Jose Santiago.