Press Releases
ATLANTA – July 30, 2018 – American Cancer Society honors two volunteers with the 2019 Volunteer Leadership Award, a national honor presented in recognition of distinguished service and leadership at the national level. The 2019 recipients are Diana Diaz, RN, MS from Gallatin, TN and Heddie Sumpter from Tampa, FL.
“It’s a privilege to acknowledge these two outstanding volunteers for their accomplishments, dedication, and leadership in helping the ACS attack cancer from every angle,” said Kevin J. Cullen, MD, chair of the ACS Board of Directors. “It’s because of volunteers like Diana and Heddie that ACS is able to mobilize action within communities to support our mission to free the world from cancer.”
The Volunteer Leadership Award is presented to volunteers who have provided distinguished service to ACS at all levels of the organization. Nominees must have guided a major project or program to its completion, served as a role model for other volunteers, represented the ACS before other groups in the community, demonstrated commitment, and is currently serving as an ACS volunteer. The Volunteer Leadership Award Selection Workgroup carefully reviews all nominations and notifies the ACS Board of Directors of the award winners.
Diana Diaz, RN, MS has dedicated more than 30 years of service to the ACS, making impactful contributions as a volunteer leader at the national, regional, and division levels and has been an integral part of more than 22 committees and Boards throughout her volunteer tenure including being a member of the nationwide Advisory Group on Volunteer Engagement. She is currently a member of the national Volunteer Training Team and Chair of the Volunteer Product Council for Volunteer Engagement. Her contributions to help shape and support the launch, transition and implementation of the new Volunteer Leadership Model have been recognized at all levels of the organization. Diaz started as a local volunteer speaker, and now has a volunteer legacy that has touched everything from advocacy and Cancer Prevention Study 3, to Hope Lodge capital campaigns and community development initiatives at all levels. In addition to numerous contributions to the ACS mission, Diaz is best known as an extraordinary volunteer role model and positive catalyst for change among both volunteers and staff during times of transition and uncertainty.
Heddie Sumpter is a distinguished and dedicated volunteer with the ACS for 28 years. Through her dedication and leadership, and as a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Sumpter created a multistate relationship between the ACS, helped to integrate 250,000 members of the sorority, and increased the partnership from five states to 50. She helped lead members as they raised over $1.7 million through ACS signature events, while also engaging in advocacy, cancer prevention, early detection and the promotion of 80% by 2018 colorectal cancer screening campaign. Sumpter has served in numerous capacities with the ACS and has been recognized both locally and nationally. Over the years, Sumpter has demonstrated her commitment to ACS as a member of the Greater Tampa Operating Unit Board of Directors, Tampa Area Board, ACS CAN Ambassador, and served as a member of the former Florida Division Board for two years.
To learn more about the American Cancer Society awards programs, visit cancer.org.