The Volunteer Action Center of the Valley United Way held its 5th annual Volunteer Recognition Reception on Wednesday, April 16, 1997 at Shelton High School from 5 to 7 p.m. The event was coordinated by Patricia Tarasovic, Director, of the Volunteer Action Center (VAC) and was created to celebrate the strong sense of community spirit and commitment to helping those in need. The VAC recognizes the tremendous impact volunteers have on this community and strives to coordinate the talents of volunteers with the many volunteer opportunities.
Volunteer of the Year Awards were presented to recipients in the following categories:
Bert Kovacs was this year's recipient of the award for Young Adult. Bert volunteers three hours per week at the Boys and Girls Club throughout the school year to help young children with their reading skills. Bert is committed to this project and has been a dependable and patient teacher. The children with whom he works, are deficient in reading. Bert's patient approach and one-on-one tutoring are helping these children make strides in their reading ability.
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The award for the adult category went to Rita Crana. Rita coordinates the Medical Response Team at Griffin Hospital, which is part of the Family Violence Task Force. Rita's efforts have been essential to the development of procedures and protocols as victims access Emergency Room (ER) services. The Umbrella's task force provides in-service training for ER staff providing greater insight into the dynamics of domestic violence and how to better triage victims. Rita's interest in the goals and the mission of the Family Violence Task Force has helped to identify gaps in services to victims and to draw new members to this community team. Her commitment to this community has linked service and increased communication between agency providers. |
Elizabeth McAllister and Ann Falbo were co-winners of the award presented in the senior category.
| Ann Falbo works in the Same Day Surgery Department four days a week, also at Griffin Hospital. She greets patients and family members with cheerful confidence and eases the tension the patients may be experiencing. Ann is always willing to learn any new task and is a committed team player. Her outgoing personality and cheerful disposition are a comfort to all with whom she works. Ann Falbo and Elizabeth McAllister are assets to a community hospital which strives to improve the health of its clients through quality care. |  |
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Elizabeth McAllister's work at Griffin Hospital has helped to put many patients at ease. Elizabeth has been a conscientious and dedicated volunteer who escorts patients to designated areas. She works three mornings a week, bringing cheer and peace to those facing very stressful periods in their lives. Her smile, charm and personality provide a sense of calm support to those she helps. |
| The Ansonia High School Make a Difference Club was selected to receive the award in the category of Youth Group. The Make a Difference Club has answered the needs of many. In October 1996, the Club held its 4th Annual Craft Show and used the proceeds to run activities and/or make donations to those in need in the Valley area. Some of their activities have included providing lunches at Spooner House, collecting over 1,000 food items for the Salvation Army Food Bank and the same amount for the Red Cross. At Christmastime, the Club adopted an Ansonia family through the United Way and provided gifts of clothing for them. They also arranged a "giving" tree which yielded ten presents for children, and six presents for parents at the Parent Child Resource Center. The Ansonia Make a Difference Club has identified and met the needs of many, both young and old alike. They realize the importance of making teenagers understand the needs of their community and the value of trying to fill these voids. |  |
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The Award for the Adult Group was presented to Storm Engine Company Ambulance Corps for its dedication to the community. The Ambulance corps is not a city agency, but is a non-profit group that provides Emergency Medical and Rescue services to the residents of Derby and to a lesser extent, the Naugatuck Valley. Storm Ambulance is the only all volunteer service in the Valley that responds to calls 24 hours per day/7 days per week and does not bill patients. The total amount of hours donated for calls and training for 1996 was approximately 3,800. In addition to the emergency services they provide, they also offer CPR classes, education seminars on carbon monoxide hazards, fire and EMS safety programs, and water and boating safety courses. This group provides and invaluable service to the community. It operates with 42 Emergency Medical Technicians, 25 of whom are also rescue and Haz-Mat (Hazardous Material) trained. These volunteers demonstrate their commitment and selflessness through the hours donated to both training, keeping their certification and responding to calls. |
John Joy is the recipient for the award in the category of Community Hero for his creation of a community-wide presence for the lower Naugatuck Valley on the Internet. John has donated countless hours of his time to allow the Valley to have one of the most advanced and attractive community web sites. When the Electronic Valley committee began exploring ways of creating a presence for the Valley on the Internet, it found the costs to be prohibitive, especially for a non-profit group with limited resources. John Joy generously agreed to host the server, which means he absorbs the cost of having all the information reside on his system. He has provided thousands of volunteer hours of labor to get the system up and running, and maintains the system on a daily basis. The Electronic Valley is a comprehensive communications and information system on the Internet which links together all sectors and segments of the community. It contains information on all aspects of life in the Valley, including Government, Human Services, Libraries, Arts and Recreation, Health Care, Religious Groups, Business, Civic Groups, Education and News and Weather. A Community Calendar is also available, which has an ongoing listing of events, meetings and happenings going on in the Valley at any given time. In addition to making it possible for the Valley to meet the electronic age, John Joy also finds time to serve as President of the American Red Cross, Lower Naugatuck Valley Chapter.
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Prudential Relocation Management believes it is very important for the company to give something back to the local community and help out those who are less fortunate. Prudential recognizes employees for their volunteer efforts. They created an employee volunteer committee called SAVE (Shelton Active Volunteer Employees) to organize the community projects Prudential chooses to work on. Prudential employees have written several grants and been awarded one of $500 which was donated to the Umbrella. Prudential was instrumental in signing up over 30 employees (some of showed up to help many nights during the week) to help with just the Umbrella project. As a result of their enormous amount of support in the project the Birmingham Foundation awarded Prudential the prestigious Corporate Good Neighbor award. They had well over 50 employees work several days at the renovation of Parent Child Resource Center. Prudential is truly deserving of the Corporate Volunteer Leadership award. |
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