Valley Council for Health & Human Services to hold annual meeting, awards presenation Dec. 2

The Valley Council for Health & Human Services will hold its annual meeting and community awards presentation on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

The event will feature a keynote presentation on “Have You Met ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), a study of financial hardship in Connecticut, presented by Richard Porth, President/CEO of United Way of Connecticut.

The breakfast meeting and awards presentation, which is sponsored by the Valley Community Foundation, will be held from 7:45-10:15 a.m. at Grassy Hill Lodge in Derby. All Valley residents and community partners are welcomed.

A full invitation and registration information for the Valley Council Annual Meeting and Awards presentation is available online at www.valleycouncil.org or by calling the Valley United Way at 203-926-9478. Registrations will also be accepted at the door. Registration and breakfast will begin at 7:45 a.m. The registration fee is $20 per person for Valley Council member agency representatives and $25 per person for other community attendees.

The Valley Council also will present three community service awards:

— The Agency/Program of the Year Award recognizes a nonprofit agency that has made a significant and lasting contribution to the health and well being of Lower Naugatuck Valley residents. This year’s award will be presented to the Valley United Way Youth Leadership Program for providing services that make significant and lasting contributions to the well being of Lower Naugatuck Valley residents. The program is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

— The Lewis Savitsky Staff Excellence Award, named in honor of a long-time Valley United Way employee and community leader, is presented to individuals for excellence in their roles as employees in the nonprofit community. This year’s honoree is Richard Knoll, president and CEO of TEAM Inc, for his lifelong and dedicated work to address the needs of the region’s low income families with meals, rent, utilities, childcare and senior services.

— The Richard O. Belden Community Service Award, named in honor of late State representative Richard O. Belden, is given to an individual or group whose efforts have made a significant
contribution to improving the quality of life of Valley residents. The Council will present the 2014 Belden award to Attorney Dominick J. Thomas Jr. of Cohen and Thomas for his tremendous work supporting numerous organizations through his professional and philanthropic service. For more than three decades Non-Profits have benefited from Dominick’s generosity providing pro-bono legal services.

The above information was provided in a press release from the Valley Council for Health & Human Services.