Russ Berrie Making a Difference Awards

One of our foundation’s signature initiatives, the Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award recognizes New Jersey’s most exceptional unsung heroes each year for remarkable work transforming their communities. Along with a monetary prize — $50,000 for the top winner, $25,000 for the second and third-place winners and $7,500 for runners-up — the awards, which are announced in a ceremony at Ramapo College, also provide a rare moment of public recognition for recipients’ tireless efforts to help others. Russ Berrie created the Making a Difference Awards two decades ago, explaining to The New York Times, “It’s another way of looking at philanthropy — inspiring people to look at themselves and what they can do for the community.”

Recent Top Award Winners

2023 — Tia Ryans for her leadership in founding F.O.R.T.E. House NJ (Forcing Out Recidivism Through Education). Tia was incarcerated for a decade following a traumatic childhood. Determined to change her life, she began taking classes and enrolled at Rutgers following release, graduating in 2019. While at Rutgers, she recognized a need for tools and support for justice-impacted students transitioning through postsecondary education and founded F.O.R.T.E. House in Newark. Tia has become a leading advocate for criminal reform and restorative justice in New Jersey. In 2022, she was appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy as a Trustee of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, the first formerly incarcerated person in that position. 

2022 — Diana Mejia for her vision in founding Wind of the Spirit more than 20 years ago to provide support and legal services to immigrants and the undocumented in various New Jersey communities. As a committed immigration advocate, she has pushed for humane and just policies that allow immigrants to live with dignity and contribute fully to their communities. Wind of the Spirit supports a broad spectrum of immigration-related issues at the local, state, and federal levels and works with immigrant communities to ensure access to information that will strengthen their leadership and enable them to realize their power as social and political actors. 

2021 — Dionisio Cucuta, Jr., aka “Chef Dion,” a military veteran from Teaneck, is described as an irreplaceable asset to his community. Recognizing that the COVID 19 pandemic created devastating food insecurity for many vulnerable residents in Bergen County, Chef Dion jumped into action. Drawing on his culinary background, he created Hot Wheels, hot dinners prepared from scratch and provided to families at Bergen Family Center. He has since created Table to Table Tuesday, a raw food distribution program donated by the Table to Table food rescue organization. Chef Dion has also been a long-time mentor to young people through the Disabled Combat Veterans Youth Program and Englewood’s Culinary Cadets program. 

2019 — Fraidy Reiss For her extraordinary work helping women in New Jersey and across the United States resist or escape forced marriages and rebuild their lives. Reiss, who was 19 years old when her family arranged her marriage to a violent man, founded and serves as executive director of Unchained at Last, the only organization dedicated to ending forced and child marriage in the United States through direct services and advocacy. In 2018, Reiss worked with state legislators to make New Jersey the second state, after Delaware, to outlaw marriage before the age of 18. 

2018 — Pino Rodriguez For transforming blighted Camden neighborhoods by creating the Block Supporter Initiative, which engages residents in beautifying, cleaning up and otherwise enhancing their blocks, leading to declining crime and huge quality of life improvements. What began as an unfunded volunteer effort has grown into an extensive program in which Rodriguez, now working with Camden Lutheran Housing, has engaged hundreds of households. 

For a complete list of past winners, please click here.