New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
My amazing mom
When I say my mom is my hero, I really mean it. She has managed to raise two amazing kids (if I may say so myself) while being deeply involved in many critical community causes and building lifelong friendships and connections. She has earned many accolades for her good works . . .
Polly O’Brien Morrow has always been my hero. She’s a fun, caring and loving mother to me and my brother, Alex, and is a woman who has dedicated her life to helping others. Earlier this year, she wrapped up 38 years with Pitney Bowes as director of Global Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy and vice president of the company’s foundation and employee relief fund.
When I was a kid, I didn’t understand what she did for work, especially since “philanthropy” really isn’t in the average child’s lexicon. Even so, I was able to see the impact that she had on our community, and I was always incredibly proud to know how much she helped people. I don’t know what the next chapter of her career will be, but I know it will be amazing.
Over the years, she has taken up many causes. She began as a Girl Scout and went on to volunteer with a marine environmental organization while in high school. Many roles followed, including chairing the boards of the Volunteer Center of Southwestern Fairfield County, the Points of Light Foundation’s National Council on Workplace Volunteerism, the Stamford Early Childhood Collaborative, and Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens. She led national award-winning neighborhood cleanups in Stamford’s South End, and helped organize the South End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone.
Another soft spot for her nurturing is plants and animals. She gardens a lot — mostly for wildlife habitat. She will proudly show you photos of Scooter (her first rescue dog from back in 1981) and Scooter’s doppelganger, 14-year-old Tucker, who we adopted from Stamford Animal Control 10 years ago. Not to mention the three cats who, over the years, came up to her while she was gardening while they were hungry and in need of a home. We took each of them in, found out they were pregnant and fostered them and their 10 kittens through Friends of Felines (and yes, we did keep too many of them ourselves!).
When my younger brother Alex (he/him) came out as transgender in 2019, both my parents supported him and loved him just as he is, as they have done for me since I came out as non-binary a few years later. My mom leaned in and dove deep to educate herself about the LGBTQIA+ community. She saw tremendous need and quickly found opportunities to help. The unconditional support she provides me and my brother not only helped us to flourish and thrive, but have been a launchpad for much of her current volunteer work. Today, she’s development co-chair for Stamford Pride, cofounder of PFLAG Stamford (aka the Stamford Pride Family Alliance) and on the program committee for Kids in Crisis and a supporter of their Lighthouse program. She is currently working on an LGBTQIA+ history of Stamford that will be announced in June (Pride Month), helping our church in New Canaan to support mental health issues and the LGBTQIA+ community, and working to create much-needed programming in Stamford for young adults who are LGBTQIA+. She is also a fantastic giver of “Free Mom Hugs.”
When I say my mom is my hero, I really mean it. She has managed to raise two amazing kids (if I may say so myself ) while being deeply involved in many critical community causes and building lifelong friendships and connections. She has earned many accolades for her good works, most recently as Stamford Town Champion for Laurel House, an organization which provides mental health services in Fairfield County, and one from Catholic Family Services many years ago that even helped her finally find her incredible birth families in Germany and Norway after a very long search.
My mom is proud of all of her accomplishments, but I know (she tells me all the time!) that she is proudest of my brother Alex and me. For that, we are both incredibly honored.
This article wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t share that my dad, Robert Morrow, is my hero, too. He’s a teacher of physics and astronomy with a background in special education and numerous fascinating skills and hobbies. Though the two of them still act like newlyweds, this year they celebrate more than 20 years of being a great team that together has touched so many lives in our communities in so many positive ways.