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Thomas Lindner is a native son of Deep River, and he wears that local pride on his sleeve. In his career as community reinvestment officer with the Essex Savings Bank, it has been his job to bolster the area’s non-profit efforts through donations to more than 200 organizations—but that’s just the start. Tom knows those local organizations through personal involvement, such as serving as a selectman and treasurer in Deep River or on the Valley-Shore YMCA Board of Directors and as a member of the Deep River Rotary, and remaining an ongoing ambassador for all the groups he’s aided.

Personal tragedy did not stop Lynda Hunnicutt from continuing to shine her light on others. Her husband died in a car accident in 2016, and despite the loss her commitment to helping those around her never wavered. In addition to the volunteer work she does for First Congregational Church of Westbrook, Westbrook Boy Scouts, Rockfall Foundation, Shoreline Soup Kitchens, and Community Music School, she will go the extra mile to help someone in need. Her nominator said, “Lynda is a genuinely selfless human being who finds and makes time for her family, her acquaintances, her friends, people in need, and the organizations with which she is involved.”

Catherine Mathis always wanted a big family; her husband thought a smaller family would be nice. They compromised at three children of their own. Catherine recognized an opportunity to share what her family had to offer, however, and opened her doors to 13 foster children and 28 exchange students over the years. She continues to help others through Literacy Volunteers- Valley Shore, noting that when you help someone learn English, you’re also helping their children, and through the Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries. She’s also active in the Old Lyme Congregational Church, including its choir, and has nurtured local arts through volunteering with the Norma Terris Theatre, Ivoryton Playhouse, and The Kate.

The loss of a child could stop anyone in their tracks. But when Sue Kruczek lost her 20 year-old son to a heroin overdose, she took her pain and turned it into action. In an effort to save other children and families from going through what she had to endure, she has worked to have bills passed, gave speeches about her son’s story around Connecticut, organized a drug take-back day, and has worked with the Guilford D.A.Y. program. Her work has made significant progress in the fight against opioid abuse. “Nick has made a big difference. I’m still proud of him even though he’s not here,” she says.

Everyone deserves a chance at a better life. Tobie Meisel is dedicated to making that happen. Through the Women & Family Life Center, Tobie leads a support group that helps give women the tool for success in a time of need. Through the Guilford ABC (A Better Chance) program, she helps high school girls from the inner city find opportunity at Guilford High School. She believes in better chances for all—even herself. An attorney by training, she’s also an author, actor, speaker, and choir singer in addition to being a therapist.

Renée McIntyre wants to help children deal with their grief after dealing with the loss of a loved one. As a clinical social worker, Renée has devoted much of her life to helping adolescents and adults. She and her husband, Bruce, help to fundraise and volunteer their time helping grieving children and their families through the organization The Cove, which they also helped to found along with another couple. She is also the clinical director for Camp Erin, which is a free weekend camp for grieving children which was created as a response to the Sandy Hook tragedy, and works with the Madison and Guilford ABC programs. “I feel incredibly blessed to do the work that I do,” she says.

“If you looked up the word ‘volunteer’ in the dictionary, it would say ‘Sue Melchior,’” or so says the person who nominated Susan Melchior for the Beacon Award. Her volunteer work in Clinton includes helping the First Church of Christ, Pretty Committee, Historical Society, Food Pantry/Soup Kitchen, Meals on Wheels, and Arbor Garden Club. She also makes sure that the seniors in her life, including her 100 year-old friend and 95 year-old mother, are well taken care of. “I’m honored that I’m getting this award, but it also involves others besides myself,” she says.

Madison’s Ed Pellegrino says he likes to get in on the ground floor—that could be a little tongue in cheek for someone whose day job is real estate, but for Ed, it’s also borne out in his day to day life. Ed is an active member of the Rotary Club of Madison and serves on the Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Commission. As far as the ground floor, Ed started the Pitching for Charity event that pitted local realtors against other community groups in a softball fundraiser, then initiated the Madison Chamber of Commerce Bed Race (yep—racing wheeled beds down the streets of Madison) that brings dozens of local businesses and organizations together.

Tom ODell of Westbrook, who was referred to as “a lion in the conservation community” by his nominator, has dedicated most of his life to conservation work, having worked for the U.S. Forest Services for 36 years. He also volunteered for local, regional, and state environmental organizations, has been active in Westbrook’s Conservation Commission for 50 years, and helped to preserve the Menunketesuck Greenway, which will remain protected thanks to his volunteer work. “It has been a learning and rewarding experience to work with and lead other volunteers with the same passionate interest in conservation of natural resources,” he says.

Wayne Sandford goes above and beyond in his service to East Haven. A former fire chief (and current volunteer firefighter), Wayne is currently the president of the Shore Line Trolley Museum and has been active in everything from Cub and Boy Scouts to the Chamber of Commerce and the annual Fall Festival Car Show, as well as his church, St. Pio. Having led the successful efforts to repair storm damage to irreplaceable trolley cars at the museum, his next mission combines his life’s skill set: providing enhanced fire protection to the trolley yard.

The Beacon Awards are aptly named for nominees like Jackie St. Peter. “A beacon is there so others can find it, it’s a light that shines above all others. That is who Jackie is to this community,” says the person who nominated her. She has volunteered for Mary Wade Home, Gaylord Hospital, Greater New Haven Warriors, North Haven PTA, Shoreline Chamber of Commerce – Taste the Shoreline, Dancing with the Stars, Special Olympics, NHHS Hockey, and Blades Hockey. In addition to her volunteer work and full-time job, she also helped to take care of her uncle who had multiple myeloma.

It seems everyone knows John Saville, whether it’s as radio personality John “Cadillac” Saville or the emcee at countless of area charity events or just the gentleman who offered a heartfelt compliment in line at the grocery store. Blessed with seemingly boundless energy and positivity, he’s also known for having difficulty saying “No,” which also explains his presence at so many community events that need his powerful, friendly voice keeping things moving. He credits his parents with instilling a desire to serve and today serves as an inspiration for new generations to stay healthy, positive, and engaged in their community.

If you want to get something done, Jeff Vailette is the guy to call. Referred to as Branford’s “go-to guy” by his nominator, he has been putting together the Branford Festival for more than 25 years. He has served as the chairman, president, treasurer, and assistant treasurer of the festival, and also serves as the president of the Italian American Club and is on Branford’s Board of Finance. He has also been helping to run the Branford fireworks for about 15 years after the American Legion was no longer able to do so. “It feels good to be a part helping out and doing things for Branford,” he says.

Carol Stewart cares about kids. She serves as president of Feed Branford Kids, which sends home backpacks of food for students whose families need help—and 34 percent of all public school students in the district qualify for free or reduced lunches. Carol and crew are currently serving 200 students a week and hope to reach more families in the future. An associate professor of management at Southern Connecticut State University’s School of Business, she earned the school’s “Outstanding Academic Advisor” award in 2016. Carol also serves on the Rotary Club of Branford and pitches in to help the Blackstone Memorial Library and Branford Compassion Club.

June Vigliotto, proprietor of June’s Outback Café in Killingworth, got started helping others at her pub when a friend approached her to start a collection for another friend in need. She was able to help, and one request quickly turned into several requests. The restaurant business is tough enough without adding “informal fundraising hub” to the menu, but when June saw the effect she could have, her response was, “How could I not?” In addition to serving as the center for several annual bike run fundraisers, June collects and delivers food, clothing, and personal supplies for the homeless in New Haven.

Hedy Watrous, owner and chef at the Whistle Stop Café in Deep River, provides excellent service in more ways than one. Once a month, she serves four-course dinners where all the proceeds are donated to charity projects. For $35, guests are able to enjoy a dinner that is done entirely through volunteer work on behalf of the restaurant, including the band, and then every dollar that they donate goes towards helping others through the Haddam- Killingworth Rotary Club, which she is also involved with. Donations have benefited the Syrian Refugee Project, building schools, digging wells, and so much more.

As a lifelong resident of North Haven, Alice Bessonett has been involved in a number of organizations and volunteered her time to many different efforts to benefit the town she loves. Her commitment to helping kids began when she herself was a kid — when she was 12, she would make team phone calls for her father, a flag football coach, and later joined her dad on the field as an assistant and also served as a Girl Scout leader. Now a special education teacher at North Haven High School, she is bringing her life’s experience to the calling — she assists a student taking stats for the North Haven High School football team at every home game.

Dan Brill of Guilford is a relative newcomer to the area, but has quickly made his mark on the community. Moving to the shoreline after a 30 year career with Citigroup in Manhattan, Dan retired from the corporate life only to embrace public service with the same dedication. He mentors a teenaged boy in New Haven, recently attending the young man’s high school graduation. He also mentors a slightly older crowd, serving as a counselor for SCORE helping beginning entrepreneurs achieve success. He’s also bringing that acumen to the board of SARAH, Inc., and to the board of trustees of his church.

Feed Branford Kids is a program that ensures all school-aged children have the nutrition they need to be happy, focused, and productive. According to their fellow volunteers, Barbara and John Clark’s selfless dedication is what keeps the Feed Branford Kids organization happy, focused, and productive. Between shopping for the best bargains to packing boxes to making deliveries to Branford schools, the duo spends as much as 20 hours a week helping Branford kids. For fun, they also help tag and track horseshoe crabs to aid research into the medically critical critters.

For Bernadette DiGiulian of Branford, getting older should never mean giving up. The Branford resident and graduate of Yale Divinity School is a certified chaplain in elder care and has worked in the field of geriatrics for 26 years. She saw the gap between planning and need experienced by many seniors, and as a result founded the Shoreline Eldercare Alliance, which serves more than 400 seniors annually through educational programs focused on topics ranging from health and wellness to financial and legal planning. She’s also a member of the Shoreline Village Association, which helps seniors remain in their own homes.