Thirteen Recipients and Two Corporations to be Honored at Lighthouse International's Third Annual Volunteer Recognition Award Ceremony
Thirteen outstanding volunteers and two exemplary corporations will be honored by Lighthouse International at its third annual Lighthouse Volunteer Recognition Award Ceremony on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 6:00 pm at Lighthouse International, 111 East 59th Street, New York. Linda Schmidt, reporter with WNYW-FOX 5 News, will be Master of Ceremonies at the event, which celebrates the dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who support the Lighthouse mission to fight vision loss through prevention, treatment and empowerment.
Recipients include a volunteer who reads difficult medical case histories to his client who is visually impaired, two enthusiastic students who conduct clothing drives for our POSH fashion sale, a volunteer who helps the Music School run smoothly and a Board member who created an exciting new pilot program.
According to Ted Francavilla, Acting President and CEO of Lighthouse International, "Our 2,500 volunteers are critical to our organization. Every day they support our programs and services to help people who are visually impaired to live productively. We could not do it without them."
Chosen from a pool of dozens of nominees and selected by an independent volunteer Panel of Judges, the 2009 award recipients are as follows:
The Winifred and Edith Holt Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service: Eric Lamm
For nearly a decade, Eric Lamm has generously volunteered his time and wisdom as an esteemed member of our Board of Directors, and lent his professional expertise as an attorney to the Lighthouse. He served as Board Vice-Chair for seven years, while also spearheading the Board's Human Resources Committee as Chair. Currently, he is a member of our Volunteer and People Committee.
Philanthropy Award: The Honorable Judge Howard M. Holtzmann
Judge Howard Holtzmann has been a dedicated champion of Lighthouse International and our fight against vision loss. He sits on our Board of Advisors, and his wisdom stimulates provocative dialogue and influences strategic decisions. Judge Holtzmann's numerous contributions have helped to nurture -- and advance -- our services, educational programs, research studies and advocacy efforts on behalf of the rapidly growing number of people facing vision loss.
Judy Van Nostrand Leadership Award: Stephen Harmison
If you've gotten great bargains in men's and boy's clothing at the POSH® sale, you can thank Stephen Harmison, manager of the POSH® men's division. With a keen eye and knowledge of designers and textiles, he does it all -- from identifying new high-end designers and encouraging them to donate, to supervising volunteer crews and creating merchandise displays that make the apparel irresistible to shoppers. Stephen has been a dedicated mainstay of POSH® for nine years, working tirelessly on many long nights and weekends to prepare for our most popular annual event.
Professional Services Award: Stroock, Stroock & Lavan LLP
They are ten creative and charitable lawyers, comprising a whip-smart team from Stroock, Stroock & Lavan. They have generously devoted their expert services on a pro-bono basis to the Lighthouse for the last two years. Ranging from senior partners to first-year and summer associates, these talented attorneys have helped the Lighthouse navigate complex legal matters.
Partnership Award: Andrea Zaldivar; Donald D'Amico, MD; and Janet Hunter (Manhattan)
We salute three experts in their field, who joined forces to enhance the quality of life for homebound elderly New Yorkers --some of the City's most vulnerable people. Together, they created a pioneering training program to prepare Lighthouse geriatric nurse practitioners (NPs) to provide sorely needed vision services in the community. They are Andrea Zaldivar, Director of our Geriatrics and Diabetes Programs, who reached out to Lighthouse Board member Dr. Donald D'Amico to help make it happen. Also a member of our Medical Advisory Board and Research Committee, Dr. D'Amico is Chairman of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He has been a long-time advocate for including NPs on the vision care team, which is a pioneering model in the field. Janet Hunter, Manager of Ophthalmic Technical Services at Weill Cornell, helped create a curriculum and facilitate training. Thanks to this unique collaboration, our NPs are providing a vital service and are integrated into the hospital's ophthalmology residency program.
Special Events Award: Melissa Sreenivasan (Manhattan- Upper East Side)
Melissa Sreenivasan makes our volunteer festivities run smoothly and enjoyable for all. As one of our department's special events coordinators, she was the go-to person for last year's Volunteer Recognition Award ceremony. She is very involved in most of the behind-the-scenes work for this year's event, too, including the addition of a small taste of New York. Melissa solicited local-area restaurants to donate food for our reception. She also took on a brand-new project -- the holiday festival for children receiving Lighthouse services. She secured donations of food, refreshments and treats, and created a wonderful party for more than 200 children and families.
General Support Services Award: Roberta Robins (Manhattan- Upper West)
Roberta Robins is a born communicator and an "eagle-eye" editor who reviews all the written documents prepared by the Volunteer Department.
Her attention to detail helps ensure consistency, clarity and quality. She also lends a huge hand by taking the minutes at monthly Women's Committee meetings and, thanks to her speedy skills, the notes are distributed in record time. As if all of this wasn't enough, Roberta also volunteers here as a reader, adding her steady voice to her talented hands.
General Support Services Award: Linda Siegel (Manhattan- Upper West Side)
Linda Siegel, another member of the Lighthouse volunteer family, shares this award category. A member of our Young Leadership Committee (YLC) for four years, she has served as Vice Chair for the last two. With a passion for our organization and strategic leadership skills, she has helped transform the YLC from eight members to an 18-person active team and increased funds to support of the Lighthouse mission. Linda has also made our POSH® sale more successful by soliciting designer merchandise through her professional contacts in the fashion industry, organizing donations and coordinating YLC volunteers to help at the event. She also organized sponsorship for 15% of the families who came to our children's holiday festival.
Reading Service Award: Eric Brown (Bronx)
For more than 13 years, Eric Brown's voice has been a constant at the Lighthouse. He has helped clients access important printed material. One client turns to him for indispensable professional assistance in reading complex, often-difficult-to-understand legal documents and challenging medical case histories; and a second client credits Eric with helping her be an efficient, well-organized person with a sense of everyday accomplishment. He is always happy to assist his clients do research online as well, and he has come in on Saturdays to read to a college student studying psychology. He is dedicated, articulate and patient.
Recording Service Award: Eric Brown (Bronx)
As if his volunteer reading contributions weren't enough, Eric also records technical material for a science college professor and just about anything else any time it's needed. Very generous with his time, he is willing to come in five days a week, leaps in to help and, consequently, has become an invaluable resource for both our clients and staff. Wearing two hats at once, Eric has become one of our Print Access Center's greatest
contributors.Youth Volunteer Award: Madison Mounty (Manhattan -- Upper East)
Helping the staff as a teacher's assistant in day-long classes is Madison Mounty, who has volunteered for the Music School for two years. Her contributions are essential to ensuring that the day runs smoothly for both students and teachers. Outside the classroom, she has initiated arts and crafts projects during free periods, bringing her enthusiasm and caring to every activity she undertakes. She is conscientious, thoughtful and can relate to our students, while also encouraging and inspiring them. Madison's commitment is always 100%.
Community Partnership Award: Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price has provided both help and fun for our youngest clients with visually impairments. With generous gifts from their wonderful product line, as well as the time of the helpful people who make them, Fisher-Price has made a real difference. They provided our Early Intervention Program (EIP), Child Development Center and Music School with delightful toys that help the youngest learn, develop key skills and reach important developmental milestones that are the building blocks for an independent life. Some of the families in our EIP do not have the financial means to purchase such toys, making these gifts even more meaningful.
Special Recognition -- POSH® Youth Volunteers: Christina Coleburn (Franklin Lakes, NJ) and Yu Lim Kim (Riverdale, NY)
"Energetic, enthusiastic and determined" are the worlds that best describe Christina Coleburn and Yu Lim Kim, who are receiving special recognition for the outstanding job they both did in planning and coordinating our first-ever youth-lead POSH® clothing drives. Christina organized an extremely successful clothing drive in the three lower schools of her home town of Franklin Lakes, NJ. As part of her extensive outreach, she distributed more than 4,000 flyers and educated more than 1,000 families about our vital mission. Christina's inspiring leadership and promotion efforts resulted in the collection of more than 2,300 pieces of clothing. Yu Lim demonstrated outstanding leadership when organizing and overseeing the POSH® clothing drive at the Riverdale Country School in Riverdale, NY, where she is a student. She, and the members of her school's affinity group AAA (American Asian Alliance), came together to support the Lighthouse mission. Connecting the classroom to the community, Yu Lim's selflessness, generosity and empathy exemplify attributes that her school hopes to cultivate in all of it students.