Volunteer of the Year

Each year, one C&S employee is honored for outstanding service to the community. Nominees are selected from employees who participate in the Dollars for Doers program. 

 C&S 2013 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: Russell Hurd

In celebration of National Volunteer Week, C&S Wholesale Grocers is pleased to announce that Russell Hurd is the company's 2013 Volunteer of the Year. Russ, a C&S employee since 2007, is a Perishable Quality Control Manager in our North East, Maryland food distribution center.

Russ volunteers more than 1,000 hours each year with Harford Community College in Maryland. Russ and his wife, Kim, partnered with the College to create the Heather L. Hurd 5K Run/1 Mile Walk, established in memory of their daughter, Heather, who was killed in a traffic accident in 2008 by a tractor-trailer driver who was distracted while texting.

Now in its fifth year, the event raises money for book scholarships for HCC students and for programs that help raise awareness of traffic accidents, their consequences and costs, and the measures that can be taken to prevent them. The event also remembers the hundreds of victims killed on Maryland roads each year, and acknowledges the critical work of first responders - fire, police, and ambulance personnel. Russ raises money, plans the event, and arranges exhibitions, including a distracted driving simulator. He also speaks at "give back" nights and schools about distracted driving and the Heather L. Hurd Run/Walk.

Russ has also lobbied for legislation to prevent distracted driving, and was a panelist at the Florida Distracted Driving Summit last November. With his wife, Kim, Russ was instrumental in passing Heather's Law in Maryland in 2010 that bans the use of hand-held cell phones while driving and he has been a leading advocate against distracted driving across the country.

"Right now, we are losing over 3,000 people per year strictly due to cell phone use and texting while driving, and that number is conservative. 600,000 are injured every year. I hope that, one of these days, people will understand how dangerous distracted driving is," said Russell. "I'd give anything not to be Volunteer of the Year. I'm Volunteer of the Year because I love my daughter. I'm trying to help prevent another family from going through this."

Russell became a candidate for the C&S Volunteer of the Year award by submitting a C&S Dollars for Doers application. A panel of company employees rated each application for the spirit of volunteerism, leadership, and the desire to make a difference in people's lives. Through the Dollars for Doers program, nonprofit organizations benefit twice: once from the C&S employee's contribution of time, and again from a C&S matching contribution of $1 per hour volunteered, to a maximum of $1,000. All part- and full-time employees are eligible to participate. To apply, visit http://community.cswg.com.

C&S has selected a Volunteer of the Year since 2005. Please join us in congratulating Russ.