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AWARDS
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Sep 19, 2007
They
have spirit
YWCA
honors eight Greenwich women for volunteerism
By
Sara Poirier, Assistant Editor
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Among the backcountry trees and
rolling hills of Conyers Farm, it was the manicured lawn of Rick Fuscone
and his wife Marjorie Cheney Fuscone that played stage to the “spirit
of Greenwich” Tuesday evening.
“What is the spirit of Greenwich? people ask. You can’t
see it; you can’t touch it; you can’t feel it, but you know
it’s there,” State Sen. William Nickerson told the crowd. “You
know it’s there in the spirit of people who wake up in the morning
and one of their first thoughts is, ‘How can I make Greenwich
and Connecticut and the world a better place?’”
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| document.write(unescape("From left, Pamela A. Farr, Elise Hillman
Green (with
her daughters),
Phyllis Jacob,
Patricia B.
McDonald, Linda
Munger, Brita
Darany von Regensburg, Nancy Voye Weissler and Martha "Muffin" Zoubek
stand as they're recognized Tuesday night for having
the "spirit
of Greenwich." The women were honored by the YWCA of Greenwich for
their volunteer work. ' Sara Poirier photo"));
From left, Pamela
A. Farr, Elise
Hillman Green
(with her daughters),
Phyllis Jacob,
Patricia B. McDonald, Linda Munger, Brita Darany von Regensburg,
Nancy Voye Weissler and Martha ‘Muffin’ Zoubek
stand as they’re recognized
Tuesday night
for having the ‘spirit of Greenwich.’ The
women were honored
by the YWCA
of Greenwich
for their volunteer
work. — Sara
Poirier photo |
An annual event for the town’s YWCA, the Spirit of Greenwich Awards
pay tribute to the volunteerism of Greenwich women. Unlike the organization’s
BRAVA awards, which focus on the work done in women’s professional
lives, the fall honors are bestowed for what is done in their personal
lives. They’ve been handed out since 1994.
“The Spirit of Greenwich Awards seeks to recognize and honor women
volunteers in vision, devotion and accomplishment that enhance our community,” said
Chris Hikawa, chairwoman of the YWCA Board of Directors, just before
introducing the recipients at Tuesday’s ceremony.
The work of this year’s recipients ranges from organizing fashion
shows to benefit the Breast Cancer Alliance to becoming the first female
president of the Church Council of Second Congregational Church.
The 2007 honorees include Pamela
A. Farr, Elise Hillman Green, Phyllis Jacob, Patricia B. McDonald, Linda
Munger, Brita Darany von Regensburg, Nancy Voye Weissler and Martha “Muffin” Zoubek.
Women received a gift from the YWCA, “Spirit” certificate,
citations from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Mr.
Nickerson, and a congratulatory letter from United States Congressman
Christopher Shays.
As each recipient was introduced
to the crowd of more than 100, each expressed gratitude to the organizations
to which they had and continue to serve, as well as the people who helped
them along the way.
Pamela A. Farr
“Despite a gratifying professional career, I clearly received
the most satisfaction from assisting not-for-profit organizations in
my own community,” Ms. Farr said. “One thing, however, that
I am absolutely sure of is that none of us do the things we do without
the help and support of so many others.”
Nominated by Jody-Lynn Breakell
of the Greenwich Chapter of the American Red Cross, Ms. Farr has a background
in management consulting in the profit and nonprofit sectors. She has
been a volunteer with the American Red Cross since 1997 and was named
the first national American Red Cross volunteer chairwoman for finance
in 2004. She became president of the local chapter’s board of
directors in 2001, a year in which she also served as a member of the
Tri-State Metropolitan New York Disaster Response Design Team and the
9/11 Recovery Program Advisory Council.
Ms. Farr volunteers on a national
level for two arts groups. Locally, she has been president of the parents’ association
and member of the board of trustees at Convent of the Sacred Heart,
and has co-chaired the luncheon and fashion show for the Breast Cancer
Alliance. Ms. Farr also developed the Corporate Donor Program as a member
of the Antiquarius Committee for the Historical Society of the Town
of Greenwich.
Elise Hillman Green
Apologizing for reading her speech,
Ms. Hillman Green jokingly explained to the crowd, “When you are
the spirit of Greenwich, you’re a very busy girl, so there’s
no time for memorizing your speech.”
The mother of four young children,
Ms. Hillman Green has been on the Greenwich Academy Alumnae Board for
more than 15 years and was president of the Alumnae Association for
a three-year term. In that capacity, she co-chaired various capital
campaigns, annual fund appeals and special gifts. She has also been
a member of the school’s Diversity Steering Committee.
She is very active at Greenwich
Country Day, her other Greenwich alma mater, and has been involved with
the Junior League of Greenwich for the past 16 years, recently being
recognized with the group’s Phyllis Finn Mentor Award. Ms. Hillman
Green also has been on the United Way of Greenwich Sole Sisters Committee,
the Greenwich Land Trust’s Go Wild! and Junior committees, and
other committees in town and in Manhattan, N.Y. She also has served
as hostess for the Historical Society’s Antiquarius House Tour.
Upon accepting her award, Ms. Hillman
Green said that everyone has the responsibility to give back to the
community from which they come.
Phyllis Jacob
Having moved to Greenwich 41 years
ago, Ms. Jacob — who at the awards ceremony acknowledged the support
of her husband, three children and seven grandchildren — immediately
embarked on decades’ worth of service, serving as president of
various nonprofit organizations. They include serving on the boards
of the Friends of Sunny Hill, the Women’s Fellowship of Second
Congregational Church, the YWCA of Greenwich and the Junior League of
Greenwich. She was also the first woman president of the Second Congregational
Church Council.
Ms. Jacob has also been chairwoman
of the town’s Board of Social Services, and has lead fund-raisers
for Greenwich Library and the Red Cross.
She and her husband are on the board
of Heart Care International Inc.
Patricia B. McDonald
The first president of Hill House,
the senior home in Riverside, Ms. McDonald first volunteered with the
elderly at The Nathaniel Witherell in 1969. She returned to the Hill
House board of directors in 1998 and has chaired its fund-raising committee
since.
Ms. Jacob has been Community Answers’ information manager from
1976 to 1985 and executive director of the Greenwich Arts Council from
1985 to 1996.
While her daughter was in school,
Ms. Jacob served as president of the parent-teacher associations at
Riverside, Eastern Middle and Greenwich High schools. She has also worked
with the United Way, Greenwich Library, the Junior League of Greenwich,
her parish council and the region’s agency on aging.
“Volunteers make good things happen and we have a lot of fun doing
it,” Ms. McDonald said.
Linda Munger
Ms. Munger has worked with the Bruce
Museum for 10 years, leading fund-raising efforts and strategic directives.
She is a longstanding trustee and has chaired the Board of Trustees.
She is currently its treasurer.
Ms. Munger is on the boards of the
Arch Street Teen Center, the Avon Theatre and the Historical Society,
as well as the Harvard Business School Club of Connecticut Community
Partners. She also participates in fund raising for many town groups.
Among other leadership roles, she
is a founding member of Northwestern University’s Council of 100,
a group of alumnae who provide networking, mentoring and leadership
development for young women on campus. “There’s no better
feeling than being given the opportunity to make a difference,” Ms.
Munger said.
Brita Darany von Regensburg
Ms. Darany von Regensburg has advocated
for the needs of grown children with autism for more than a decade,
founding Friends of Autistic People (FAP) in 1997. A former interior
designer and the mother of an autistic daughter, Ms. Darany von Regensburg
has served as the nonprofit’s president, bringing internationally
renowned autism experts to Greenwich.
The latest initiative of FAP is
to create the first farm living and learning academy village for grown
autistic children in Connecticut.
Ms. Darany von Regensburg has also
been involved with Kids in Crisis, the Greenwich Library Flinn Gallery,
the Red Cross, Greenwich Hospital, the Bruce Museum, Greenwich ARC,
and many other groups locally and regionally.
She and her husband, Tibor, were
honored as Greenwich Volunteer Couple of the Year by the Volunteer Center
and the United Way of Fairfield in 2005.
Nancy Voye Weissler
Since retiring from a 20-plus-year
career as a securities analyst and research director at J.P. Morgan,
Ms. Voye Weissler has been active in workplace mentoring and college
alumni career counseling programs, as well as being a volunteer consultant
for the National Executive Services Corps.
She was elected to the school board
in 2005, and is secretary and a member of its Executive and Labor Negotiations
committees. She is founding co-president of the Greenwich Coalition
to Combat Underage Drinking and an advocate for education through a
number of school groups
She has served on the Representative
Town Meeting, the Riverside Garden Club and the Board of Governors of
the Riverside Association.
“By all of us working together for our community, we’ll
succeed in making this the proverbial shining city upon a hill,” Ms.
Weissler said.
Martha ‘Muffin’ Zoubek
A Greenwich native, Ms. Zoubek,
who said her family mantra is “do it for the love,” has
been co-chairwoman of the Bruce Museum for the past three years and
has been on the board of directors for nine. She has chaired multiple
committees, edited exhibition catalogues and won awards for her service.
As curator of education in the 1980s, Ms. Zoubek founded the museum’s
education department and launched the Brucemobile, an outreach program
to schools and the community.
She is active at Greenwich Country
Day, Greenwich High School, the Arch Street Teen Center, the Breast
Cancer Alliance, the Greenwich Choral Society and the Green Fingers
Garden Club.
Ms. Zoubek, president of and singer
with the Grace Notes, is a contributing editor to Greenwich Magazine. |
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REVERED GREENWICH RESIDENT
TO RECEIVE
MORTON'S THE STEAKHOUSE"WOMEN
OF SPIRIT" AWARD
Brita Darany, President of Friends of Autistic People (FAP) To Be Honored at August 10th Dinner to BenefitFairfieldCounty Red
Cross
STAMFORD and GREENWICH, CT, July 30, 2007 - Morton's The Steakhouse
and the Fairfield County Chapter of the American Red Cross, along with the world's leading women in wine, will honor Brita Darany of Greenwich at
an exclusive wine dinner to be held August 10th at Morton's The Steakhouse
in Stamford. Ms. Darany is being honored as Stamford's "Woman of Spirit",
a woman who reflects values and principles similar to the mission of the American Red Cross, and who demonstrates an exceptional commitment to volunteerism and service. She is founder and president of the grassroots organization,
Friends of Autistic People (FAP).
Ms. Darany is one of 38 "Women of Spirit" selected by Morton's
The Steakhouse and the American Red Cross who exemplify the spirit
of the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton. Bonnie McElveen-Hunter,
Chairman of the Board of the American Red Cross, notes, "Over 125
years ago, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross on the battlefield
of the Civil War. She was a woman of dedication and commitment who
helped so many in their hour of need and she had an unyielding spirit.
The American Red Cross is very honored to be Morton's national partner
to highlight the power of women like Clara Barton who selflessly volunteer
and serve others in their community." In September, the 38-city campaign
will conclude with an "all-star" gala event honoring the American
Red Cross, in Washington, DC, at the Morton's in Georgetown, which
will be celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Mother of an autistic adult daughter, Vanessa, Ms. Darany founded FAP
in 1999 when she realized no services were available to meet the needs of
autistic adults. Through perseverance and hard work, she has made FAP an effective,
well-known, well-supported entity in the local community. Her dedicated lobbying
efforts have succeeded in fulfilling her advocacy efforts at local, state and
national levels. In 2000, FAP collaborated with the Connecticut Department of
Mental Retardation to plan and open its first autism-focused group home in Fairfield
County. Friends of FAP and speakers at FAP parents meetings have included
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Congressman Chis Shays, Senators
Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman.
Morton's Vice President of Wine and Spirits, Tylor Field, will co-host
the August 10th dinner at Morton's in Stamford. Mr. Field has secured
top female winemakers, sommeliers and proprietors from around the
world to participate in each of the 38 "Women of Spirit" wine
dinners in Morton's private dining boardrooms across the nation. At the
Morton's in Stamford, Winemaker Debbie Burden of Simonsig Estate in South
Africa, producers of Simonsig Family Wines, will speak about the dinner's
wine selections plus present her personal philosophy on wine and her own
achievements in the highly competitive wine industry. In 2005, Ms.
Burden was named "South
African Woman Winemaker of the Year" by a jury of her peers that
included seven other women winemakers and winery owners, many of whom
are pioneers in the industry.
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