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| Ernestine and Nicholas Luise |
Valley United Way announced today that for
only the second time in the history of the Charles H. Flynn
Humanitarian Award, a husband and wife team have been selected for the
Valley's highest honor for community service.
Nicholas and Ernestine
(,ore affectionately known as Nick and Ernie) Luise have
been synonymous with community service in the Valley for more than 20 years. They are being recognized for an incredible list of accomplishments
that has made their adopted home a better place to live and work.
Jack
Walsh, President & C.O.O. of Valley United
Way said, "The selection committee was incredibly impressed with the
indelible mark that Nick and Ernie have left on the Valley and beyond
with the wide range of programs that they have supported through the
years. Though both of them were born, raised and
educated in New Jersey, we have been incredibly fortunate that they
chose the Valley as their home and set to work their magic here."
Over
the course of the last 20 years, Nick Luise has found time to serve on the
Board of Directors for Birmingham Group Health Services
where he was the first chair of the Holiday Gala, the Valley YMCA,
Hewitt Foundation, and VNA of South Central Connecticut. He has also served the City of Shelton on its Ethics Commission.
He is currently serving as the Treasurer and board
member for Rotary District 7980 Gift of Life and the International
Board of Gift of Life which provides life-saving cardiac, pediatric
surgeries for children under 18 yrs.
Ernie
Luise has been every bit as active. She is a member of the Derby-Shelton
Rotary Club where she served as President (first female
president in Club history). Her Rotary service extended to a term in
the prestigious post as District Governor (only the second in the Club's
history), and she recently co-chaired the committee that developed the
beautiful new Pavilion along the Shelton Riverwalk.
Ernie Luise also served on the Birmingham Group Health Services Foundation Board
for 18 years and was Vice Chair.
She co-chaired the successful Bowl-a-thon for many years.
She is
also the past Board Chair and 13-year member at TEAM, Inc. and a former
Board member at Valley United Way.
Ernie Luise has also been heavily involved
with the Boys & Girls Club, the Women Making
a Difference Committee and Julia Day Nursery. The City of Shelton has
benefitted from her service on the Municipal Parking Authority.
The couple's humanitarian efforts have extended beyond the Valley. They have been active with
Rotary International Peace Centers program that educates scholars
in conflict prevention and resolution.
They have traveled to Mexico to
participate in the literacy initiative
Project Amigo whose goal is to keep kids in school. Keeping with
the education theme, they have also supported construction of a three-room school in a rural village in Nicaragua and furnished a computer
lab.
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While serving as District Governor Ernie helped Rotary International's
efforts
to institute a clean water project in the Kolar region of India.
The
bio-sand filter program that Nick and Ernie helped spread with their
extensive
fund raising efforts assisted
over 400 government schools and several villages to develop clean
drinking water as part of the South Asia Pure Water Initiative. Their
fundraising efforts for
Gift of Life have helped “fix hearts” of over 1,000 children in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Flynn Award is by no means the only community recognition that they have received. Ernie is a past
recipient of Valley United Way's Volunteer Center Sharon Bryce Holly Community Hero Award, Parent Child Resource Center's Joseph Pagliaro, Sr. Award and the Greater Valley Chamber
of Commerce's Gold Seal Award.
Ernie Luise also has numerous commendations through her Rotary service at the
local, regional and international level. She has been
the Derby-Shelton Rotarian of the Year and winner of the Donald A.
Adams Award from Rotary District 7980. The Rotary Foundation of Rotary
International honored her with the
Citation for Meritorious Service and the Board of Directors of Rotary International presented her with the
Service Above Self Award.
Among Nick Luise's many awards are the YMCA's Richard Nicolari, Sr. Award and Parent Child Resource Center's Joseph Pagliaro, Sr.
Award. He is also the recipient of a prestigious Gold seal Award from the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Nick
Luise is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and received his Bachelor of Science
in Finance from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Additional studies included time at Michigan State and Penn State.
Following his retirement as Vice President of United Parcel Service
after a distinguished career, he was recruited and served for an
additional three years with EDS ((Electronic Data Systems).
Now fully retired, he enjoys his family, community activities, and
golfing with friends.
Ernie Luise's
background was in education, and she held various teaching positions in
New Jersey, Missouri, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Montclair State College,
with certification in History and Biology.
When
she retired from education, Ernie Luise spent10 years as Administrative
Assistant to the Shelton Economic Development Corporation
during a vibrant period of growth for the City.
The couple will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in June. They have a daughter, Jennifer Jennifer,
son-in-law Derrick Champagne and granddaughter Aimee.
Valley
United Way is pleased to have such a dynamic and caring couple join the
distinguished list of talented and dedicated people who have done
so much for the Valley.
The award will be presented at Valley United
Way’s 45th Annual Meeting and Recognition Dinner April 23 at Molto Bene Italian Kitchen in Ansonia.
Reservations may be made by calling
Valley United Way or visiting www.valleyunitedway.org.
This information is taken from a press release from Jack Walsh, President and Chief Operating Officer, Valley United Way.
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