On October 23rd, Claire Riggs received the Greg Davis Community Service Award at the 2025 Spirit of Community Awards, made possible by Jersey Cares, the Volunteer Center of South Jersey, and the Nonprofit Development Center of Southern New Jersey.
Read Claire’s acceptance speech and hear Greg Davis’ award introduction below!
Claire’s Acceptance Speech
“Thank you so much for this honor, Greg, and for the full circle moment it represents in my life.
Volunteerism is taught — and both my husband and I had the best teachers in our mothers: Lilly, who raised six children as a single mother, served meals to the homeless in Philadelphia a couple times a month, and encouraged the incarcerated throughout the country through a letter writing ministry. And, Marie, who raised four children as a young widow, shared a spirit of hospitality that extended beyond her meager means. For both, they lived by faith and depended on community.
Volunteerism is also caught — In 1999, I had the privilege to begin serving in a public affairs capacity for Valero Energy and experienced corporate social responsibility in ways we need to see more of today. The company had a caring culture and a basic tenet that focused on taking care of its employees, and — in turn — the employees would take care of the business. Another tenet focused on taking care of the community; as the community gave it the right to operate, the company had a responsibility to benefit its neighbors.
In addition to managing a generous philanthropic budget that supported millions of dollars in capital investments in numerous organizations, I also oversaw the United Way committee, Benefit for Children Golf Classic committee, and Valero Volunteers. Our employees, encouraged to give back to our communities, spent thousands of hours supporting dozens of projects each year.
Greg was one of those faithful volunteers, who stepped up to complete our Nonprofit Board Governance training and soon joined the Board of the Volunteer Center of Gloucester County at the time.
In a small seed-planting way, I’ve watched with great joy the fruit of these investments in Greg’s life. In a large way, through his leadership and dedication, Greg helped grow the organization’s reach and impact to all of South Jersey; so much so that the Board renamed its highest award in Greg’s honor.
I’m humbled that Greg credits me for getting him started in volunteering and for providing mentorship in his journey. And, I’m extremely honored to experience this a full circle moment in receiving this ‘Greg Davis Community Service Award.’
Thank you, Greg, for catching and teaching others the importance of volunteering, and thank you to the Volunteer Center of South Jersey for blessing me in this award!”
