The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Roberts earns agency’s highest volunteer honor
MIDDLETOWN — In about one week, on Jan. 17, we will gather at the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station in Haddam to honor volunteers and community leaders, in addition to celebrating a year of many accomplishments, at our annual meeting.
Middlesex United Way is pleased to present the Community Service Award to Kristen Roberts. This honors volunteer service to the Middlesex United Way, considering length and continuity of service. It is the highest and most prestigious honor for a United Way volunteer.
Roberts’ involvement with Middlesex United Way began 16 years ago, when she joined our communications committee in 2003. Since then she has served in many capacities for Middlesex United Way, including campaign and marketing chairwoman. Roberts also led the effort to install several Born Learning Trails in Middlesex County.
She has held several leadership positions for professional and community organizations, most notably serving two terms as president of the New England Chapter of Women in Cable and Telecommunications, and she is a member of the organization. She sits on many other local boards, including her most recent appointment as a trustee of Goodspeed Musicals, as well as the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce and Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce. She is a former board chair of the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce.
We are pleased to announce Cathy and Bob Boone as the recipients of our 2019 Community Leadership Award. This award recognizes outstanding leadership in strengthening communities.
Both retired, Cathy and Bob Boone have spent the past decade volunteering to benefit our community. Both are founding members of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. VITA sites, including one at the Middlesex United Way office, provide free income tax preparation assistance to low-income working families, ensuring they have access to the tax credits they have earned.
Cathy’s previous service includes sitting on the board of directors of Connecticut Valley Girl Scout Council, as well as the Altrusa International Foundation. She serves on the board of directors of Gildea Community Service, a Middlesex United Way partner; Friends of Russell Library and Altrusa International of Central CT.
The recipient of our Community Impact Award is Columbus House, in recognition of the organization’s outstanding commitment to improving lives and community conditions.
For the past 37 years, Columbus House has been providing solutions to combat homelessness. The mission has evolved throughout the years to include not only emergency shelter, but a continuum of housing services designed to help people who are homeless move toward independence. It serves people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, by providing shelter and housing while also fostering their personal growth and independence.
The award is being issued to Columbus House in part because of its two newest ventures. Columbus House has taken responsibility for the warming center in Middletown, formally run by St. Vincent De Paul Middletown. This location offers a safe, warm place for those who may otherwise be out in the cold.
Its other venture is a $8.5 million project which will convert a former nursing dormitory on Middletown’s Connecticut Valley Hospital campus into 32 units of supportive housing for homeless veterans.
Middlesex United Way is excited to present the Tocqueville Society Philanthropy Award to Bill and Sharon Griffin for their significant role in inspiring philanthropy. They will be formally recognized at our Campaign Awards Breakfast in May.
These Durham residents, married since 1977, established the Peach Pit Foundation in 2005, a private grant-making organization whose mission is to “plant seeds of opportunity” in the local community. The Griffins have a particular interest in serving the asset-limited, income-constrained, employed population — a household with income above the federal poverty level, but below a basic cost-of-living threshold.
The Peach Pit Foundation has had plenty of notable gifts. In a partnership with the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, it has helped provide grants for many local initiatives, including Middlesex Community College, Middlesex YMCA, Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce’s Summer Youth Employment Program and Middlesex Habitat for Humanity of Connecticut.
Some of its philanthropy includes sponsoring a house for a family to call home in Middletown through Habitat for Humanity, and donating laptops to Middlesex Community College students.
Middlesex United Way is pleased to present the Justin Wilkie Next Generation Award to Meghann LaFountain. This honors a volunteer under 40 who actively serves the community with an enthusiastic and positive spirit.
LaFountain is on the steering committee of the Middlesex United Way’s Young Leaders Society and will serve as chairwoman of the Middlesex United Way Women’s Initiative. She is actively involved in various groups throughout the county, including the Middletown Rotary Club, Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce and the World Affairs Council.
In 2017, LaFountain started her law firm, LaFountain Immigration Law, and is committed to helping those facing challenges with immigration.
She was awarded the honor of Outstanding Woman Scholar from UConn School of Law and is the vice chair of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers and treasurer of the Middlesex County Bar Association.
The annual meeting will be held Jan. 17 at the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station. Tickets are $20. A full breakfast will be served at 8 a.m., and the program will begin at 8:30.
To attend, visit middlesexunitedway.org/rsvp or call 860-346-8695.