United Way Honored the Region’s Most Valued Volunteers
BRIDGEPORT, CT - (May 4, 2007) United Way of Eastern Fairfield County honored its outstanding community volunteers at the annual Celebration of Community Builders, May 3, 2007 at the Trumbull Marriott. Dr. Janice Gruendel, Senior Advisor of Early Childhood for Governor Rell’s office, reported on the Leadership in Action Program, designed to support State and Bridgeport leaders as they take actions that make an immediate impact on children and families in Bridgeport.
The annual Celebration of Community Builders, sponsored this year by AltruShare and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, served as an opportunity for area residents, service providers and business leaders to meet and say “thank you!” to volunteers who help make Eastern Fairfield County a better place in which to live, work, and raise our families. 2006 Community Builder Award honorees included Bridgeport residents Tammy Boyle, Success By 6® Award; Mary C. Green, Supporting A Caring Community Award; Carolyn Vermont, Diversity Award; Bridgeport Alliance for Young Children, Group Synergy Award; Southbury resident Kathy Saint, Operation Graduation Award; Manchester resident Anne Carr, Destination Home Award; Westport Resident Lynn Abramson, Regional Leadership Award.
At the Celebration, the prestigious Norman Leeds Award and Spirit of Caring Awards were presented. Trumbull resident and retired GE employee John W. Annick received the Norman Leeds award for his steadfast work on behalf of United Way of Eastern Fairfield County and the greater Bridgeport region. Bridgeport resident Adrienne Farrar Houel was selected for this year’s Spirit of Caring Award for an Individual for her active participation with numerous nonprofit organizations and her advocacy for all residents, especially our youth. RBS National Bank was chosen to receive the Spirit of Caring Award for an Organization for its efforts in ending homelessness and its ongoing support of United Way’s Community Impact agenda; RBS President and CEO Joseph A. Hoffman accepted the award.
Campaign Awards, honoring companies’ exceptional commitment to helping those in need, were presented to a number of corporations and individuals. Aquarion Water Company, GE, People’s Bank, RBS National Bank and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation were honored with Chairman’s Circle Exceptional Achievement Awards. Blum Shapiro; Friedberg, Smith Company; Rotair Industries, Inc.; and Santa Holding Company were presented Impact Circle Awards. R.C. Bigelow, Inc. received the Community Partner Award, and Town of Trumbull Economic Development Director Deborah Evans Cox received the Ambassador Award.
United Way of Eastern Fairfield County’s mission is to mobilize a stronger, more caring community across Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. Our focus is on what matters. We are bringing people together from all across the community – people from government, business, faith groups, nonprofits, and ordinary citizens – to tackle the issues that matter most. United Way is committed to the bottom line results: the lives we change and the communities we shape. Find out more at www.thewaytocare.org.
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Nominees for United Way’s Board and Committee Chairs include :
Officers (1-year term)
Ronald J. Bianchi, Chairman of the Board – Trumbull
Mark A. Fries, Chair, Board Affairs Committee – Newtown
Bryan J. Huebner, Vice-Chair of the Board – Easton
Daniel A. Neaton, Secretary – Monroe
Community Campaign Chair (1-year term)
Jeffrey P. Pino
Returning Directors(3-year term)
Rina G. Bakalar, James Benson, Ronald Bianchi, Leo B. Hansen, Bryan J. Huebner, Stephen Jakab, Anne McCrory,
Charles D. Smith Jr., Carolyn Vermont
New Directors (3-year term)
Christina Bodine, Kyle Commodore, Armando Goncalves, Dr. John J. Ramos, Sr., Valarie Shultz-Wilson, Samuel B. Tingley, Diana Washington
Retiring Directors
Jeffrey Hubbard, Richard Fuchs, Patricia A. Manion, Jeffrey Treiber
Executive Committee also includes August F. Serra and Paul S. Timpanelli, Bridgeport Regional Business Council.
Returning Directors
Cheri L. Amado; Rina G. Bakalar; Al Barber; Mark Barnhart; Susan M. Beauregard; James Benson; Ronald J. Bianchi; Richard P. Bodine, Jr.; Allyn Briggs; Gregory W. Buckis; Lawrence J. Bues; Thomas J. Castelot; John A. Dobos, Jr.; Marian Evans, MD; Adrienne Farrar Houel; Mark A. Fries; Richard Fuchs; Joan Grabe; Laurie Gross; Leo B. Hansen; Bryan J. Huebner; Peter F. Hurst, Jr., Stephen Jakab, Patricia A. Manion; Anne McCrory; Daniel A. Neaton; Ruth G. Price; Paul S. Timpanelli; Jeffrey Treiber; Carolyn Vermont; James P. White Jr., Esq.
Community Builder Award Winners
Community Builders have spent countless hours and energy benefiting the greater Bridgeport community. These Community Builders help United Way forward its vision and its Community Impact agenda by helping to improve lives and build strong communities. Each of the volunteers has demonstrated outstanding service in one or more of United Way of Eastern Fairfield County's four Impact areas: Success By 6®, Operation Graduation, Destination Home, and Supporting A Caring Community. Special awards are presented in the area of: Diversity, Group Synergy, and Regional Leadership.
Community Builder Operation Graduation Award
Southbury resident Kathy Saint ( The Schwerdtle Stamp Company)
"Her focus on improving the state of public education in Bridgeport will be felt in the years ahead in the results that we, as a business community, intend to achieve.” Paul Timpanelli, Bridgeport Regional Business Council
Community Builder Supporting a Caring Community Award
Bridgeport resident Mary C. Green (Redeeming Faith Christian Assembly)
"Her life is dedicated to feeding the hungry, sheltering and protecting children…and improving the quality of their lives.”
Staff Member, Hunger Outreach Collaborative Staff
Community Builder Group Synergy Award
Bridgeport Alliance for Young Children
"When unveiling Bridgeport's Blueprint for Young Children last week I stated that we know what it takes to prepare children for success. My hat is off to the members of BAYC for their dedication to our children." John M. Fabrizi, City of Bridgeport Mayor
Community Builder Destination Home Award
Manchester resident Anne Carr (Career Resources)
"She has the ability to understand the threads in mainstream bureaucracy that can be interwoven with the grassroots service systems to create sustained solutions." Carol Walter, CT Coalition to End Homelessness
Community Builder Success By 6® Award
Bridgeport resident Tammy Boyle (ABCD, Inc.)
“As a parent leader, Tammy is an example for other parents. She has an interest in making things better not just for her child but for all children.” Staff Member, ABCD, Inc., Head Start
Community Builder Diversity Award
Bridgeport resident Carolyn Vermont (Urban Family Development)
"Most of us are familiar with Carolyn's volunteerism with Project Blueprint, yet her influence as a champion for diversity across the community should be acknowledged and celebrated." Mark A. Fries, Beardsley, Brown & Bassett
Community Builder Award Regional Leadership
Westport resident Lynn Abramson
"Lynn puts her vision and genuine care for the greater community into action as a volunteer. The entire region benefits from her persistence and energy" Ronald J. Bianchi, St. Vincent’s Medical Center
Spirit of Caring Awards
United Way of Eastern Fairfield County’s Board of Directors annually presents the Spirit of Caring Awards for outstanding community volunteerism to both an individual and an organization. President Ronald J. Bianchi (St. Vincent’s Medical Center) stated, “The Spirit of Caring award allows our board members a yearly opportunity to acknowledge individuals and groups who have done extraordinary work in advancing United Way’s Community Impact mission.” Previous Spirit of Caring winners include Helen Wasserman (inaugural award, 1996), Cesar Batalla (awarded posthumously), Dennis C. Murphy, Jacky Durrell, William A. Minter, The Bodine Family, Margie Powell, Kaye Williams, People’s Bank, Sikorsky Aircraft, STAR 99.9 FM- Cox Radio, Inc., Chase Manhattan Bank The Connecticut Post, Pro Bono Partnership, and the Greater Bridgeport Continuum of Care.
The Spirit of Caring Award for an Individual will be presented to Bridgeport resident Adrienne Farrar Houel
The Spirit of Caring Award for an Organization will be presented to RBS National Bank.
The Norman Leeds Award
The prestigious Norman Leeds Award for community service award has been presented annually since 1963 by the United Way Staff to a volunteer who has made an outstanding contribution to the Community Campaign. The award was created in memory of father and son, Norman Leeds Sr. and Norman Leeds, Jr. Norman Leeds, Sr. played a vital role in founding the Bridgeport Community Chest in 1921 and continued in its leadership throughout the 1920’s. Norman Leeds, Jr. was very active in the United Fund of Eastern Fairfield County during the 1950’s. The organization became United Way of Eastern Fairfield County in the 1970’s. Previous Norman Leeds winners include Leonard R. Buono, William A. Bevacqua, Charles Brown, Michael J. Allen, E. Cortright Phillips, F. George du Pont, Norman Schaff Jr, Eugene T. Connolly Jr, John J. Moore, Helen B. Wasserman, Loren B. Carstensen, Preston I. Carnes, Marjorie S. and Leete P. Doty, Thomas F. Dowd, John D. Williamson, Joseph E. Huffman, Ronald J. Bianchi, C. Grace Ingram, John P. Ingram, Dr. Charles W. Fowler, Edward F. Barrett, Richard P. Bodine, Jr., Frank S. Crane, Theresa B. Connell, John R. O'Connor, Regina Hitchery, Tecla S. Laskowski, Doris Harrington, Lawrence J. Bues, Paul J. Delfino, Sandy Harden, Robert Moore, Frank A. Morse, David E. A. Carson, Michael Pozefsky, Patrick A. Pallotto and the M.A.L.E.S, Michael S. Rosten, Octavio G. Choy, M.D., Merrick W. Hellyar, Susan C. Hitchcock, Georgina L. McAllister, Terrance J. O'Connor, Mark A. Fries, Barbara Bodine, Joan Grabe, Richard K. Schmidt, Daniel S. Carney, John A. Klein, Ruth G. Price.
The Norman Leeds award will be presented to John W. Annick
Campaign Awards
Chairman’s Circle Exceptional Achievement Awards
Aquarion Water Company, GE, People’s Bank, RBS National Bank and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Impact Circle Awards
Blum Shapiro; Friedberg, Smith Company; Rotair Industries, Inc.; and Santa Holding Company
Community Partner Award
R.C. Bigelow, Inc.
Ambassador Award.
Town of Trumbull Economic Development Director, Deborah Evans Cox
Community Campaign Chair
Jeffrey P. Pino, President, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
