Child and Family Services (C+FS) hosted their annual Celebration of Friends on Wednesday, May 15 at The Saturn Club. Five individuals were recognized for their outstanding efforts and dedication to the C+FS mission of nurturing a healthy and more equitable Western New York for the benefit of current and future generations.
Dr. Richard Wall received the John N. Walsh, Jr. Board Appreciation Award. Since 2015, Rick has served as a member of both the Agency’s Board of Directors and Foundation Board of Directors. As a retired Professor of Economics, Rick has made significant contributions in his leadership roles on both the Audit Committee and the Foundation Board. We are grateful for his expertise especially during the process of selecting a new investment manager.
Diane Andriaccio and Frances Romeo were awarded the Susan T. Siwiec Distinguished Donor Award. Over the past two decades, both ladies, alongside their Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) sorority sisters, have advocated for and supported Haven House by hosting donation drives and coordinating educational projects for children of domestic violence survivors. DKG is a nationwide organization of retired educators who support various organizations in the community with Haven House being their biggest community outreach project.
Jill Wisniewski earned the volunteer award for her seven years of volunteer service. Her experience started with Adopt-a-Family and evolved to visiting with the children in our residential program, particularly with the Lee Randall Jones Community Residence. Jill visits the children on a weekly basis doing various activities, or sometimes just spending quality one-on-one time with them. She has become not only a friend but a role model to the youth.
Dr. Catherine Collins was honored with the William B. Hoyt Advocacy Award for her perseverance to achieve educational equity for underserved youth and women in Western New York. Dr. Collins served on C+FS’ board of directors in the early 1980’s. Dr. Collins was elected to the NYS Board of Regents in 2015, has published over 13 books to shed light on important issues confronting marginalized communities and hosts a radio show called “Women’s Health with Dr. Collins.”
Congratulations to this year’s honorees and thank you to everyone who attended Celebration of Friends! We wouldn’t be us without you.
