Kidsbridge was excited to present our Eleventh Annual Kidsbridge Humanitarian Awards and Celebration on Thursday, November 1, 2018. The Trenton Country Club provided the backdrop once again, as Kidsbridge proudly presented a diverse and deserving group of honorees.
The 2018 Honorees
Marie Blistan
Marie Blistan, a high school special education resource center teacher in Washington Township public schools, is the President of the New Jersey Education Association. Blistan previously served as NJEA’s vice president and secretary-treasurer. She was elected to a two-year term effective Sept. 1, 2017.
Active in NJEA since early in her career, Blistan served as president of the Gloucester County Education Association. Blistan co-founded and was the chair of the Gloucester County Education Commission, where she created a positive forum for NJEA members to meet with legislators on selected topics that affect both members and public education. Blistan has held numerous leadership positions in two local associations and was the 1987 Somerdale and Camden County Teacher of the Year.
During her term as vice president, Blistan was the lead officer in establishing NJEA’s Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund and is proud to be a part of the Sandy Ground Project—a joint venture with the New Jersey’s Firefighters’ Association that resulted in 11 playgrounds being built throughout the state of New Jersey. Additionally, Blistan was recognized in both 2014 and 2016 by the NAACP, and was the 2015 recipient of the NJ State Democratic Committee’s Jefferson Jackson Award.
Blistan’s focus as NJEA president is to continue to take the lead on providing the best learning experience possible for all of New Jersey’s public school children. Marie has visited the Kidsbridge Tolerance Center and applauds the significant social-emotional work Kidsbridge does to help NJ’s students and educators.
Lori Danko
Lori’s career highlights include serving as VP of Advertising/marketing for Chris Craft Boats, in charge of public relations for the Off-Shore Power Boat Industry territories. Entrepreneurial skills inspired her to purchase a franchise of ALoette Cosmetics, leading a team of 65 representatives across the State.
As Regional Vice President for the American Heart Association, Lori maintained a five-county territory, managing six directors for revenue generation. Distinguished awards included: Rookie of the Year and highest growth award in Leadership Achievement.
Kris Muse
Kris Muse has been a Community Banker in excess of 27 years. She joined the Bank of Princeton in 2007 as a Senior Vice President and Commercial Lending Officer specializing in healthcare finance. Prior, she was with Commerce Bank N.A for 13 years. Using her vast healthcare expertise, Kris currently leads the healthcare initiative at The Bank of Princeton. The Bank of Princeton is very active within the community and currently supports more than 250 charitable organizations.
Kris maintains a community presence as a member and/or Board Member of the following organizations: Princeton Rotary Club and Foundation, YWCA Trenton, and Princeton Symphony Orchestra. She also remains active with Thomas Edison State College, RWJ Hamilton, Capital Health, and Riders for a Cause.
NJ Advance Media
NJ Advance Media is both a marketing agency and the #1 provider of local news and information in the State of New Jersey. We are driving daily conversations and engaging millions through stories on NJ.com, newsletters, social channels and print publications including The Times of Trenton, The Star-Ledger and other daily and weekly newspapers throughout the state. We embrace the rapidly evolving digital media landscape and are committed to developing new approaches to reporting news and content that is most relevant to New Jersey residents and delivering effective print and digital marketing solutions to help our customers grow their businesses.
For over 100 years, The Times has been a voice in the community, a trusted source of news and a good corporate neighbor – including over 60 years of support from The Times Holiday Appealand the Kiwanis Camp Fund. Both of these fund-raising initiatives help to support not-for-profit organizations, residents and children throughout the Mercer County area, including Kidsbridge.
NJ Advance Media also serves as one of three program administrators for the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards which recognizes and honors public service through volunteerism.
2018 Photo Gallery
Photos by Cie Stroud: Web Site / Facebook Blog
