Torrington Elks honor members, director with awards

TORRINGTON — Each year, the Torringotn Elks Club Lodge 372 honors three individuals for their work with the club and the community.

The Torrington Elks Club on Feb. 11 honored this year’s award recipients: Elk of the Year, Deb Tartaglino; Officer of the Year, Dan Fisher; and Citizen of the Year, Karen Thomas.

According to the club’s website, the Elk of the Year and Officer of the Year awards are presented to members who are always willing to help and upon whom the club can rely to get things done. The qualifications and attributes of the candidates and their involvement in the Lodge should exemplify the Elks’ motto: Elks care; Elks share.

The Citizen of the Year is awarded to an individual who has shown leadership in the community; has contributed voluntary service and is recognized as being an all-around good citizen.

Dan Fisher became a member of our Lodge in 2015 and is serving as our Leading Knight. He is a board of directors member, a house committee member, and new chairman for the Elks Hoop Shoot and Golf Tournament. He is also our ENF Grant Co-coordinator working side by side with others securing Elks National Foundation grants for several organizations in the community.

“These grants enable them to continue their mission of helping others. Dan can often be found at the lodge volunteering as a waiter, helping out at the pond, or wherever assistance is needed,” members said.

Born and raised in the Valley, Fisher moved to Torrington at the age of 14. A graduate of OWTS and the University of Connecticut, he is Vice President of Operations for Vet’s Explosives, Inc. and a realtor with Vision Real Estate. He and his wife Laurie have four children and three grandchildren.

Deb Tartaglino has been a member of the lodge since 2011, and has served as an officer for seven years. She is a Past Exalted Ruler and a current House Committee member; has served on the Raffle Committee, volunteer waiter staff, Entertainment Committee and Pond Committee, and is thei year’s chairperson for the Holiday Giving Tree. She also supports the annual kids fishing derby and is the lodge’s Liquor Permittee. She and her husband, Aldo, have four children and seven grandchildren and reside in Torrington.

Karen Thomas has been with Friendly Hands Food Bank for over 20 years, in various capacities including volunteer, board member and delivery driver. She was hired as Executive Director in February 2020 and has enjoyed reinventing the food bank as the largest food bank in NWCT.

FHFB is the largest food bank in NWCT serving more than 37,000 meals monthly to residents facing food insecurity. Over the past three years, Thomas, along with her board of directors, staff, and volunteers, has assembled an agency that puts community first. Connecting with community partners being a key role in this endeavor, the Torrington Lodge of Elks remains as one of their top partners, according to a statement.

Thomas resides in Torrington along with her husband Ken and their two black labs, Ruger and Axle. The couple has four children, Robbie, Alyssa, Michaelanne and A.J.