Our Award Winner
We're thrilled to share the news that Ruth Li, RAP volunteer extraordinaire, is the recipient of Union County's SHERO award for 2025.
From Union County Board of Commissioners:
On behalf of the Union County Board of County Commissioners, we are thrilled to inform you that you have been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Union County SHERO Award. This prestigious honor is presented in celebration of Women’s History Month and will be announced on Mother’s Day on social media.
You were nominated by someone who deeply admires your work and recognizes the powerful impact you’ve made in your community. Thanks to their nomination, we are proud to recognize your unique perspective, strength, and commitment to making a difference in Union County.
Your dedication exemplifies the spirit of the Union County SHERO Award, and we are honored to celebrate your achievements.
Nomination submitted by Jill Segulin, RAP Executive Director:
Ruth has been a guiding light to over a hundred people in her work with Refugee Assistance Partners NJ, a Union County-based nonprofit. She coordinates the ESL program, and as a result, people have been able to go to college, get their drivers’ licenses, get sustainable jobs, earn their GEDs, and earn their citizenship, giving them “forever successes.”
She helped nine refugee families get their legal permanent residency, making their families safer and more independent. Ruth has been a mentor and guide to a disabled woman from Guatemala, teaching her English, guiding her through medical challenges, and helping her two boys be successful in school. The most impactful of Ruth’s successes has been as a mother figure to a young refugee woman from Congo. Ruth gave her guidance, hope after trauma, patient love, and the strength and encouragement to overcome the most tragic of circumstances.
Ruth is a beloved, life-affirming hero to all the refugees she connects with and all the volunteers she manages.