MOUNT LAUREL, NJ – The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), a nonprofit association representing professional organizers and productivity specialists, today announced the recipients of its 2013 Organizing Excellence Awards, which recognize local and national organizations in which organizational expertise, success, and structure are integral to achieving their missions. The awards were presented on April 20 at the NAPO2013 Annual Conference and Organizing Exposition in New Orleans. Local community organization Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO) and the national organization Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) were honored.

“Both of these deserving organizations exemplify the value of organizing to boost efficiency and productivity, and demonstrate how limited resources can go a long way with the right systems in place,” noted NAPO Awards Committee Chair Ellen Palestine, Certified Professional Organizer®. “It is our honor to present Animal Rescue of New Orleans and Wounded Warrior Project with our Organizing Excellence Award, and to support, in some small way, their incredible service to their respective communities.”

ARNO is a volunteer-based grass-roots organization that works at lightning speed to capitalize on opportunities to benefit the lives of abandoned, lost or abused animals. Specific organizing skills that ARNO has mastered include effective use and allocation of time; fit for purpose design and use of space; well-coordinated processes and workflow; and maximizing use of available resources. “We certainly know how to stretch a nickel a long way,” says Charlotte Bass-Lilly, CEO of ARNO.

Over 50,000 servicemen and women have been injured in the recent military conflicts. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated as many as 400,000 service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 320,000 are believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment.

To ensure WWP reaches the geographically dispersed veteran community as close to home as possible, it has opened 14 offices across the country. WWP’s 18 programs and services are uniquely structured to nurture the mind and body, and encourage economic empowerment and engagement.

Nominations for the 2014 Organizing Excellence local and national awards will be solicited by NAPO’s Arizona chapter, and the Awards Committee and Board of Directors, respectively. Businesses and nonprofit organizations are eligible for nomination in one of five categories: business, community, education, family, and humanitarian. One local and one national award recipient will be chosen. The awards will be presented at the NAPO2014 Annual Conference & Organizing Exposition at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Phoenix, AZ from May 28-31, 2014. For a list of award recipients and eligibility criteria, please visit http://www.napo.net/who/awards/org_excellence.aspx. For information about NAPO2014, please visit www.NAPO.net.

About NAPO

The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) leads and advances the organizing and productivity industry. NAPO was founded in 1985 as a nonprofit professional educational association for professional organizers. Today, NAPO has approximately 4,000 members worldwide, representing the full spectrum of the global industry: professional organizers, productivity specialists, authors, educators, trainers, manufacturers, service providers and more. NAPO is The Organizing Authority®. NAPO serves its members and the public by providing professional educational opportunities, industry leadership, productive partnerships and expert information and solutions to foster growth and fulfillment for all who work within the organizing and productivity industry or benefit from its services. NAPO is headquartered in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, and is on the web at www.NAPO.net.

About ARNO

Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO) is an organization created and dedicated to the rescue and aid of abandoned and homeless animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi, including responding to the immediate needs of those animals in need of medical care, or who have been neglected, abused and deprived of love. ARNO promotes the foster, adoption and reunion of pets with caretakers, as well as spaying/neutering of all companion animals. For more information, visit www.animalrescueneworleans.org.

About Wounded Warrior Project®

The mission of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

Source: NAPO