Honoring Those Who Serve: The 11th Annual Helen Reardon Volunteer of the Year Award Ceremony

Lending a helping hand and love for their fellowman is the essence of being a Volunteer. Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “Life’s most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?’” On April 11, 2019, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department held the 11th Annual Helen Reardon Volunteer of the Year Award Ceremony to honor all Department Volunteers for what they do every single day to help Los Angeles County residents. 

(Photo Credit: LASD FACEBOOK PAGE)

Undersheriff Timothy Murakami and Members of the Department’s Command staff were on hand to celebrate this special occasion. Department Volunteers have been an inspiration to the community and have worked side by side with sworn personnel for over two decades. Their assistance allows our sworn and civilian staff to focus their efforts on providing safety services to the community. Each year the volunteer coordinator from each of our patrol stations and specialized units, nominates one volunteer who has provided between 5,000 and 20,000 hours of service and are awarded a lapel pin at the ceremony. The “Volunteer of the Year” award is named in recognition of Helen Reardon, who was significant in the founding and formalizing of the volunteer program within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in the mid 1980’s under Sheriff Sherman Block. All patrol stations and specialized units nominate their volunteer for this prestigious award, but a panel essentially selects the one volunteer who has demonstrated the following factors: accountability, leadership, can do attitude, professionalism, compassion, respect for diversity, and customer orientation. This year the Helen Reardon Volunteer of the Year award went to Chris Miller. Chris Miller was a sworn Deputy Sheriff in 1974 and retired in 2008. He continues to serve the department and communities by dedicating his time at the San Dimas Station. His passion for preserving the Departments history is what drives him to be a Volunteer. Chris is currently helping the Sheriffs Museum with publications, he interviews retired department members, attends several events throughout the County to take photos and document the history of the department. Chris, is one of those few volunteers who has volunteered over 20,000 hours. The Sheriff’s Department would like to thank our fantastic volunteers. Every one of them is an invaluable member of our family. Please join us this month in acknowledging them and their important contribution to our community. For more information regarding the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Volunteer program, please contact your local Sheriff’s Station or visit www.lasd.org, and click on our Volunteer tab.