Valley Council for Health & Human Services to present awards

United Way of CT President to discuss financial hardship

DERBY - The Valley Council for Health & Human Services will hold its Annual Meeting and Community Awards Presentation Dec. 2 at Grassy Hill Lodge.

The event will feature a keynote presentation on “Have You Met ALICE.” 
ALICE stands for “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.”
Richard Porth, President/CEO of United Way of Connecticut will discuss "A Study of Financial Hardship in Connecticut. "

The event is sponsored by the Valley Community Foundation. It will be held from 7:45-10:15 a.m.
All Valley residents and community partners are welcomed.


The Valley Council 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 & CEO of TEAM Inc, for his life-long 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 the late state Rep. 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 nonprofits have benefited from Thomas' generosity providing pro-bono legal services.

A full invitation and registration information for the meeting is available at www.valleycouncil.org or by calling Valley United Way, 203-926-9478.

Registrations also will be accepted at the door. Registration and breakfast will begin at 7:45 a.m. Registration fee is $20 per person for Valley Council member agency representatives and $25 per person for other attendees.

About the Valley Council for Health & Human Services

The Valley Council for Health and Human Services, established in 1993, is a partnership network of more than 45 non-profit community health and human service organizations working to improve the quality of life of residents in the Lower Naugatuck Valley.

Through its monthly membership meetings, task forces, and committees, the Council acts as an important mechanism for fostering collaborative efforts among local service providers, thereby improving service delivery systems and strategic planning for the Valley region. 

This is a press release from the Valley Council for Health & Human Services.