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2006-2007 Volunteers of the Year!
Congratulations to Sherry Bassi, Camille Alberti, Felix Reyes, and Renee Fournier who have been named New London Main Street Volunteers of the Year!
Each Committee Chair has selected a volunteer whose efforts they felt were worthy of special recognition. Volunteer Coordinator Joanne Gibson says, "All our volunteers are wonderful, and these four are shining examples of how truly valuable they are to our organization."
The Organization committee, headed by Kerin Woods, has selected Sherry Bassi as its Volunteer of the Year. Key projects for this committee include increasing membership and coordinating Open Houses, both of which require ongoing year-round efforts.
Kerin says, "Sherry volunteered for things she knew she could follow through on, such as staffing membership and registration tables, or coordinating catering."
Sherry met Joanne Gibson at a Food Stroll and decided to volunteer when she learned about Main Street's exciting events and projects. She likes the upbeat attitude that pervades the organization. Kerin and Joanne turn to her whenever they need a reliable self-starter. Last spring, circumstances arose that kept her from helping at Main Street's Annual Meeting. She sent her daughter in her place. The spirit of volunteering is alive in the Bassi family!
The Economic Enhancement Committee has chosen Camille Alberti for her work on the food stroll surveys. Jerry Sinnamon, committee chair, praised Camille for her efforts in collecting and analyzing feedback from a survey sent to 300 Food Stroll attendees.
"Nine of the 12 questions were open-ended, meaning that answers needed to be read and evaluated," he said. With 165 responses, Camille spent many hours on the project, but she delivered. After all surveys were assessed, she developed a computer slide presentation that made the results understandable to the events' key stakeholders.
Camille moved to Southeastern Connecticut about three years ago. At a Newcomers Club meeting in 2005, she heard CEO Penny Parsekian speak about New London Main Street and the organization's many goals. Camille finds it rewarding to utilize her business and marketing background while volunteering.
"It was Penny's enthusiasm," Camille says, "that brought me in as a volunteer."
Architect intern Felix Reyes is being recognized by the Design Committee for his enthusiastic support of both the Parade and Union Plaza Courtyard Café projects. According to Main Street Board President Barun Basu, Felix "jumped at the first opportunity" to work on the plans for the Parade area and the Courtyard Café.
He prepared a site analysis of the entire Parade plaza area, from Union Station past the monument and north along State Street. For the Café project, he created design sketches of furnishings, landscape work, and banners for presentation to the building owners.
A native of New London, Felix has a passionate interest in the development of downtown public areas. He volunteers for a number of organizations; he says that for him, doing something that is needed and genuinely appreciated is as important as a paycheck. "I love to volunteer," he says, and clearly he means it.
Renee Fournier, the Promotion Committee's choice for Volunteer of the Year, is a powerhouse. She worked closely with Penny Parsekian last summer to create a brand new event, Fish Tales, Tugs & Sails, a day long festival for children and families at the New London Waterfront Park.
Renee led a committee of educators, librarians, volunteers, and other community members to produce the successful debut. Main Street Promotion Coordinator Kim Bartlett praises Renee for her reliability, positive thinking, and especially her leadership skills.
"Renee," Kim adds, "has an amazing understanding of what children love to see and do."
Renee says she sees volunteering as a natural extension of her job as head of public relations and marketing for Mitchell College. She says she is "passionate about collaborations" and loves to see people working together to make a difference. Renee's energy is alive and humming as this year's planning for Fish Tales, Tugs & Sails is well underway!
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