By Henry M. Holden   

Randolph resident and County College of Morris (CCM) graduate Delores “Dee” Rincon, (class of 1985), was recently honored with the CCM Alumni Humanitarian Award. Rincon’s award is in fact a recognition of her three-decades of service to her community, for her outstanding personal achievements, dedication to serving the public good, serving a segment of the college, and, for exceptional overall achievement in her profession.

The County College of Morris Foundation, along with the CCM Alumni Association, inaugurated the annual Alumni Awards in 2003. Since then, more than 93 exceptional graduates have been added to the Alumni Wall of Fame, located in the Student Center. 

“Covid-19 messed up everything,” said Rincon. “I hope we can get back to normal and return to our celebrations, soon,” 

Rincon has been honored as Distinguished President of the Randolph Kiwanis Club, and she is also the recipient of the Carrington/Swain Award and Hixon Award, given in recognition of years of service.

“I was a member of the Randolph Municipal Alliance Committee for more than five years. During that period, I helped evaluate programs on substance abuse for the Randolph School District.”

Rincon’s long-term commitment to mental health and wellness programs became personal following the 2017 death of Marisa, her beloved daughter, from suicide. Marissa was a 2007 CCM Fine Arts graduate, and Rincon worked with CCM to exhibit her daughter’s artwork during Suicide Awareness Month (September). The exhibit was up for seven weeks. The following year, she established a memorial scholarship in her daughter’s name.

Then Rincon took a break and obtained training at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, so she could properly share her story with others. “I was very concerned about the rising suicide rate.”

As a trained Rainbows bereavement facilitator, Rincon has provided comfort to hundreds of people suffering from the loss of a loved one.

She is now also an active promoter of anti-bullying and wrote a children’s book on the topic. “Jasmine Jeepers, and Her Wild Peepers; the Gift of Sight.” 

“The book started out as a book to help children who were awaiting eye surgery,” said Rincon. “I gave some to the Randolph Middle School and the teachers raved about it. Many saw it as an antibullying book.”

“I have been working on this book now for several years and it slowly evolved. I kept editing it and at first, I thought it might be two stories in one. It just evolved as if it had a mind of its own. A group of bees, Fuzzy, Wuzzy, and Buzzy, were bullying the other bees. They were called the Bumble Rumble Bullies, and they were the antagonists. Jasmine Jeepers and her crowd were the protagonists.” 

“I want so much to market this book commercially, so that I can help others, but I have not been able to find an illustrator.”

Rincon is dedicated to continuing her education, and completing courses she feels will improve herself, and benefit her community. She attended an intense 40-hour course at the Women’s Battered Shelter and is now a certified crisis first responder. 

“As a certified crisis first responder, I worked side-by-side with the Randolph Police Department to assist victims of domestic violence.” 

Rincon is a motivational speaker, and presents talks on wellness and mental health advocacy, and suicide awareness and prevention. 

Rincon’s selfless efforts extend beyond mental health awareness and drug abuse avoidance. Working with special needs children, Rincon served on the Board of Directors for The Allegro School for children with autism.

Since 1991, she regularly shares her faith, as a leader and educator at Resurrection Parish, in Randolph. 

She is an active member of the CCM Alumni Association, for more than seven years, serving in several capacities. “I believe I have experienced the best of both worlds, working 15 years in the business world and another 15 years for Randolph Schools.”