Almost 20 years ago, Rick Reinhardsen helped found the Salvation Army service unit on Martha’s Vineyard. He is now moving off-Island and it will take four people to take on his work load.

“My family is Salvation Army. My grandparents were Salvation Army, my mother served in the Salvation Army,” said Mr. Reinhardsen at a recent event to honor his service. “I saw a need for Salvation Army, so I made a phone call.”

Mr. Reinhardsen’s friends and colleagues gathered at the West Tisbury Public Safety building on Sunday to celebrate his accomplishments. He and his wife Cristina Reinhardsen are moving to New Hampshire this month to be closer to family.

Among the guests were other emergency responders from around the Island and members of the Salvation Army’s volunteer operation.

Teresa Temple, Cristina Reinhardsen, Rick Reinhardsen, Maddie Lopes, Brian Kennedy, Angela Cywinski.

Courtesy Maddie Lopes

Teresa Temple, Cristina Reinhardsen, Rick Reinhardsen, Maddie Lopes, Brian Kennedy, Angela Cywinski.

Courtesy Maddie Lopes

In addition to volunteering with the Salvation Army on Island issues, Mr. Reinhardsen has been deployed to disaster areas around the country.

“When you have people like Rick on your team, he reminds you that it’s going to be okay,” said Chris Farrand, who first met Mr. Reinhardsen when they were both deployed to Springfield, Mass. after a tornado outbreak. “He is someone who’s willing to go whenever he’s available, however he can help, whatever he can do.”

Mr. Reinhardsen has also made an impact on the Island. He and his wife respond to local emergencies, often providing food and water in a truck he outfitted himself. The Reinhardsens also connect people with resources to help them rebuild after a disaster.

“He is the most wonderful man in the world. He does the work that is hard, but he doesn’t want the credit,” Mrs. Reinhardsen said of her husband.

As a leader of the local Salvation Army’s service unit, Mr. Reinhardsen also helped coordinate the local red kettle outreach during the holidays. Seventy five per cent of the money raised in that program goes towards rental assistance he said.

For the people who know Mr. Reinhardsen personally, his contributions exceed organization expertise.

“There’s a depth of personality, a kindness that he doesn’t often show,” said Bob Holt, who has known Mr. Reinhardsen for 40 years. “I’ve lost two wives to cancer in the past 20 years and each time he’s shown a different character other then business-orientated. Extreme kindness.”

In addition to well wishes from the Island and Salvation Army communities, Mr. Reinhardsen received a letter of recognition from state representative Dylan Fernandes.

Mr. Reinhardsen will continue to be on call to assist with emergency relief around the country after he and his wife move into their new home in New Hampshire.