admin

The list of organizations that benefit from Lisa LeMonte’s service reads like a Who’s Who of Middlesex County non-profits. Highlights of her involvement include the Valley Shore YMCA, the Connecticut River Museum, the Community Music School, the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Middlesex Hospital, HOPE Partnership, and the Community Foundation of Middlesex County. As community development officer for Guilford Savings Bank, it’s her job to find meaningful ways to connect with local non-profits, and it’s clear that its a task to which she’s perfectly suited. Her commitment is contagious—as one of her nominators said, “She has mentored many of her associates, inspiring others to join a cause, serve those less fortunate, and generally improve the quality of someone’s life.”

“Whether supporting children of the shoreline, community initiatives, her church, or those who can’t do for themselves, Judy has been a selfless contributor to the shoreline community and is a deserved recipient of the Beacon Award,” wrote one of Judy McCusker’s many fans. Judy is a longtime advocate for and volunteer with St. Mary of the Visitation Church, the Henry Carter Hull Library, Meals on Wheels, Morgan booster clubs, the Clinton Education Foundation, Clinton Democratic Town Committee, and Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries. A parent and a teacher, Judy still teaches ESL today.

At just about every important community happening in Branford, Bill O’Brien is a familiar face, camera in hand to document it all. It doesn’t take much digging to learn that he’s not just a photographer—he’s used his extensive knowledge and willingness to get involved to help bring about many of events that make Branford Branford, such as the annual Branford Festival. A retired banker, his lifelong love for sports also shows in his support of the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the National Football Foundation, Southern Connecticut Conference, and Branford Recreation Department.

Theresa Ranciato-Viele is like a benevolent force of nature, providing a seemingly endless supply of support and compassion in her North Haven community. Much of what she accomplishes she does through the North Haven Rotary Club, such as the support for Hunter Pageau, a young man battling through the rare disease SMARD. She’s also provided key support to Rotary events like the Day of Wine and Roses, leading the club ro recently name her Rotarian of the Year. Outside of Rotary, Theresa helps youth through the Jack Viele Scholarship Fund at the Eli Whitney Museum, held in honor of her late son, and through serving as a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters.

About a decade ago, Miner Vincent saw that some of his Clinton neighbors were struggling to stay warm during a cold winter, and made the decision to do something about it. That simple commitment turned into Families Helping Families, through which he nearly single-handedly raised thousands of dollars for fuel assistance. Families Helping Families has since turned into one of the community’s most potent and trusted ways to address need, through food, fuel, and compassion. Miner has been the very dedicated and gracious voice of Families Helping Families, giving his neighbors with just a little extra a way to help those facing a struggle. As a nominator noted, “His passion is truly serving others.”

As a 13-year member of the Clinton Rotary Club, Linda Beavers of Clinton has been involved in the Amber Alert Child ID Program, the Annual Cancer Relief Fund Walk-A-Thon, the Morgan School Interact Club, the Dictionary Project, the Clinton Bluefish Festival, the Lutheran Church of Madison, the Pretty Committee of Clinton, the 350th Celebration of Clinton, and much more. Linda was on the Warm the Children Committee, and raised money by soliciting donations for needy children in Old Saybrook, Madison, and Clinton. She also volunteered to take the families and kids shopping. Linda’s active involvement with a myriad of programs and projects demonstrate how she’s embraced the Rotary’s slogan, “Service Above Self.”

Kim Beckett of Guilford is a familiar face around Guilford schools, having served on the PTA and the GHS Unity Group to create a culture of acceptance and celebration of differences to help reduce bullying. She also co-chairs Guilford DAY (Developmental Assets for Youth) and has helped develop the town’s United Sports Program. Kim brought the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign to Guilford Public Schools, and implemented the Positive Coaching Alliance Program in Guilford. Thanks to Kim, DAY has trained more than 200 coaches and team captains with the goal to provide all youth and high school athletes
with a positive, character-building sports experience. With Kim’s help, the results of DAY’s survey of students in grades 7 through 12 demonstrate significant improvements in the developmental assets town youth report. In addition to her work as an advocate for Guilford youth, Kim is an integral part of Guilford’s First Congregational Church.

Taffy Bowes of Madison has worked for Madison Youth & Family Services for almost 20 years. She has helped to develop many programs for them, including Gay and Straight People, Violence Prevention Program, Women of the World, Reach Out, Peer Advocates, and many more. She is a licensed professional counselor with more than 16 years of experience. Taffy is responsible for the prevention work of Madison Youth & Family Services. In referencing her work with youth, Taffy states, “The work I do is based in the belief that young people have the intelligence and the soul to be powerful actors in this world. Teenagers help me stretch and grow—and they are entertaining.” Through Taffy’s
influence, Madison’s youth have increased their level of sensitivity and acceptance of differences in others.

Fred Brooke of Old Lyme is a co-founder of Angel Swim, an organization he started in 2003 to raise awareness and money for children with a life-threatening illness. He originally got the idea when he swam to raise money for a Westbrook family in need. He has been swimming six hours a day for six to eight days in a row each summer for the past 10 years to cover the 850-mile coast of New England. He’s also the founder of Angel Ride, a Memorial Day pan-Connecticut bicycle ride whose donations support the Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp’s Hospital Outreach Program (HOP). Since 2004, the ride has raised nearly $4 million, and 23,000 children hospitalized with life-threatening diseases have received camp visits in more than 28 hospitals from Massachusetts to Philadelphia. In 2013, Angel Ride raised more than $750,000 for HOP.

Lifelong Branford resident Brenda Eldridge has volunteered for years at the Community Dining Room, helping to serve the 7,000 meals a year. She also serves the Branford Compassion Club, caring for all the cats and kittens at the shelter and even fostering some in her own home. Not only does she provide direct care for as many as 90 cats, she also spends a considerable amount of her time fundraising for the organization. She shops, totes, cooks, and cleans up from the lavish pasta dinners and breakfasts that she puts on with little help. These events raise substantial sums of money for the organization to carry on its mission. She and her husband also rescue older golden retrievers and provide them with safe, happy, loving homes until the end of their lives. Brenda has been on church missions to Staten Island and the Appalachian region to provide meals for volunteers
working to repair storm damaged homes.

Kristine Klarman of Branford has taken part in a long list of fundraisers and volunteer opportunities. For the past 28 years, she has helped at Community Dining Room and has been a fi xture at the Friends of the Blackstone Library annual Book Sale, and served on the Branford Festival Souvenir and the Walk like MADD committees. She has taught CCD at St. Mary’s in Branford for 18 years, and has been Eucharistic minister there for 16 years. Since it began in 2009, she’s helped at Abraham’s Tent, a cooperative between Columbus House and New Haven-area congregations to provide shelter to homeless individuals during winter. She worked for Branford/North Branford Senior Housing, and since she left, she continues to keep in contact with some of the residents and still assists them with errands and grocery shopping. She was employed by Apple Rehab in Guilford and now volunteers there. Kristine was the first volunteer at Orchard House when she was in high school.

Tracy Landino of East Haven was a three-time cancer survivor before she passed away on Sept. 15. She worked to raise more than $58,000 for the American Cancer Society while fighting for her own life. Her passion was the “House of Hope” Relay for Life Team and she worked to spread the word of early detection. Not only did she raise money for the fight against cancer to help her family, friends, and neighbors live healthier lives, but she spread the word of eating well, exercising, and going for regular checkups. Tracy had recently put her story into book form in the hopes of inspiring others who are fighting the fight against
cancer and their families and loved ones.

“To our friend Tracy, whose passion for a cause while fighting her own courageous battle gives us all strength to take action to support causes we believe in to help make the world a better place. We will be forever grateful.” – Beacon Awards Committee

Eunice Lasala of Branford is a founder of the Branford Compassion Club, a non-profi t feline rescue organization that serves the Shoreline community. She also volunteers for the Branford Community Foundation and the Branford Garden Club. Lasala and her husband, Anthony Lasala, have been Branford residents since 1966. She joined Junior League of Greater New Haven in 1972, leading to her appointment to the GNH Visitors and Convention Bureau and chairing New Haven’s 350th birthday celebration. Among her other Branford volunteer commitments, Lasala served as PTA president at every school level, chaired many programs for Branford Woman’s Club, was active with the 1980s-era Teen Activity Group (TAG), became a Blackstone Library Trustee, and taught religious education classes at St. Therese Church. Lasala was inducted into the Branford Education Hall of Fame in 2002, and earlier this year received a Lifetime

Susan McDevitt of Madison works around the clock to raise awareness of Lynch Syndrome, an extremely under-diagnosed genetic mutation that can cause cancer in 12 organs. This past April, she created the event Comedy for Cancer, which raised nearly $20,000 for Lynch Syndrome International, for which Susan was the East Coast regional director and recently became the vice president. Susan has seven children and has been fighting cancer since she was diagnosed three years ago. Though she has been through chemo and seven surgeries, she is always thinking of others. Susan and her family are also known as “The Pizza People”
to many homeless people in New Haven. Every month Susan gets 10 to 15 pizzas donated as well as coffee, cookies, several cases of water and other food items, as well as much-needed clothes, backpacks, socks, shoes, and personal and toiletry items. Her children are very much involved in this and accompany her on each visit.

Peter Palumbo of Guilford owns Palumbo Automotive in town and is a frequent contributor to the Guilford Food Bank. He founded the “Build a Bike, Better a Life” pilot program at Guilford High School and has been active in the mentoring program and scholarship committee there. Peter allows students from the high school to shadow a technician, makes road calls, and shovels snow for local residents. Peter has also helped
the Guilford Housing Authority and Guilford D.A.Y. (Developmental Assets for Youth) program. He allows any non-profit organization in town (and sometimes neighboring towns) to use the Palumbo’s Automotive parking lot to host fundraising car washes. He provides all the supplies and deducts donation amounts from donors’ future repair bills.

When James Puska of Killingworth was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1998, he vowed that if he beat his cancer he would dedicate his life to helping others. He has volunteered at the Connecticut Hospice in Branford for the past 16 years. He has been a bereavement volunteer for young widows and widowers for most of that time and has said that he gains as much from the weekly meetings as the participants do. After volunteering for several years with adults in the Connecticut Hospice bereavement program, Jim became curious about what kind of volunteer programs were available for grieving children in a group setting. The outcome of his search led him to The Cove Center for Grieving Children in Guilford, where he has been a volunteer for more than 10 years. He has facilitated parent groups as well as groups of children of all ages, his favorite being teens. The groups meet every other Sunday evening.

Dan Riccio, Jr., of North Haven is the commander of American Legion Post #76, and supports local high school sports teams, volunteers for the local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, food banks, the Special Olympics, and the Leukemia Foundation. He is instrumental in leading local support and fundraising for the Fisher House. He is an active fundraiser for the Wounded Warriors Project. He collects winter coats for homeless veterans and has made it his personal mission to help other veterans obtain wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and everyday necessities. He is also the manager of the three American Legion baseball teams. He co-chairs the annual Memorial Day Parade for North Haven. May 24, 2014 was declared Daniel Riccio, Jr., Day in North Haven.

Lynn Riordan of North Branford is the founder of Matt’s Mission Fund, a non-profit organization that raises money to assist students in need and to educate the public on responsible driving. Matt’s Mission Fund was established five years ago after Lynn’s son Matthew Picciuto died in a car accident. Lynn speaks all over the state at schools about speeding and driving. “No Need to Speed” signs have been placed all along shoreline roads as a reminder of Matt’s message. The fund raises money through donations and the annual Matt’s Mission 5K race. More than $200,000 has been raised in the past four years. Class dues have been paid for many students who otherwise would not have been able to attend graduation or senior prom. Families in need have had their rent, electric, or phone bills paid when warranted. Lunch tickets are available in the Guidance Department year-round for students who are hungry and have no money to eat. Lynn’s next project is a food  pantry in North Branford, aligned with the Connecticut Food Bank.