Here at Karma for Cara, we put a big emphasis on recognizing leaders in service and unsung heroes. So K4C decided to kick off 2015 by recognizing a pair of outstanding nurses, Sue Ramzy, BSN, RN, and Harold Hardinger, BSN, RN.

On Wednesday, January 7, Karma for Cara officially expanded our Excellence in Nursing award program. Over the past couple of years, we have twice handed out an award to a Johns Hopkins Hospital nurse during the Kimmel Cancer Center One Night, One Show, One Cause annual event.

This fall, we received an email from a friend of the Becker family, retired WJZ-TV newscaster and Shock Trauma volunteer, Richard Sher. Richard let us know about two outstanding nurses at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Both are senior clinical nurses in the Trauma Resuscitation Unit and have been with the hospital for 40 years. He suggested we reach out to the hospital and ask if they might be interested in participating in our Excellence in Nursing Award program. We took his nomination and got to work contacting UMMC.

We not only expanded the program to UMMC, but were able to pull off quite the surprise, as well. When our honorees walked into a meeting that became a surprise award ceremony, they had no idea what was to come. Sue’s son, Justin Ramzy, was in attendance, as well as Harold’s wife Maria Hardinger, RN, and daughter Emily Hardinger Moore.

We feel honored to be able to recognize such incredible nurses who have had such a positive impact on the community through their smarts, compassion, caring nature and dedication to their patients and the hospital.

As Eric said in his remarks at the event “Cara knew and appreciated the incredible role that highly trained and committed nurses play in patient care. She was very concerned that her nurses felt appreciated and recognized as heroes…We are proud to carry on her wish in recognizing leaders in service.”

We would also like to thank Radcliffe Jewelers, who has graciously donated the crystal bowl awards given to recipients for each Excellence in Nursing Award honoree to date.

From left to right: Terry DiNardo, RN, MSN, CCRN, Trauma Resuscitation Unit nurse manager, Harold Hardinger, Eric Becker, Sue Ramzy, Karen Doyle, MS, RN, MBA, NEA-BC, vice president for nursing and operations, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Richard Sher. Credit: University of Maryland Medical System