Medfield Foundation To Recognize, Honor Volunteers In The Community

The Medfield Foundation's annual “Volunteer of the Year” reception has been scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. on March 27 at The Center at Medfield. This year, Whole Foods will provide the refreshments. The public is invited to attend and to celebrate the efforts of the extraordinary Medfield volunteers who have been suggested this year. This year, those recognized, so far, include:

• Bill Pope – volunteers by creating, renovating, and fostering the Zullo Gallery, and through the Zullo Gallery the town’s cultural life.
• Jeanne Sanfilippo – volunteers as chair for the past eight years of the Medfield High School all night graduation party.
• Susan Holbrook – volunteers with Cradles to Crayons to provide clothing and school supplies to Boston children, while promoting a sense of dignity and value in their community.
• Ron Griffin – volunteers for the Shine program, assisting seniors make health care choices.
• Shonda Schilling – volunteers for the ALS Association, the Shade Foundation, AANE, the schools, coaching, and fund raising for MHS fields.
• John Filip – volunteers to organize and operate St. Edward’s CYO basketball.
• Betty Sanders - volunteers for the Medfield Garden Club, Medfield Community Gardens, Medfield Food Cupboard, Mass. Hort. Society, and shares her gardening expertise.

• Deirdre Walsh – volunteers as President of Community Teens, attended Girls State, member of Warriors for the Homeless, member of the MHS Guidance Advisory, Alter Server, Lector and Peer minister at Blessed Sacrament Parish, junior volunteer at Falmouth Hospital.

• Betty Sanders – volunteers for the Medfield Garden Club, Medfield Community Gardens, Medfield Food Cupboard, Mass. Hort. Society, and shares her gardening expertise.

• Larry Kramer – volunteers by doing music concerts that fund-raise for Medfield Coalition for Public Education and for Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.

• Laurie Nealon – volunteers by forming and operating the Medfield Angels Network, a 400 strong network connecting Medfield residents who have the capacity to give with those fellow residents who have short term needs.

• Kathleen Cahill – volunteers by forming and operating the Medfield Angels Network, a 400 strong network connecting Medfield residents who have the capacity to give with those fellow residents who have short term needs.

• Katherine Quinn – volunteers for Wishi project in Ecuador, seeking to build a school.

• Jeanne McKenzie –volunteers as the Christmas Angel, coordinating a Christmas sponsorship program that provides Christmas presents to over thirty Medfield families through Medfield Youth Outreach and other organizations.

• Nicki Gustafson – volunteers as the Christmas Angel, coordinating a Christmas sponsorship program that provides Christmas presents to over thirty Medfield families through Medfield Youth Outreach and other organizations.

• Robert Luttman – volunteers everywhere for everything - started Monday Morning Medfield News and MFi, instrumental in the Community Connections Café, saving the Lowell Mason house, serves on the library board, technology study committee, Medfield Youth and Community Collaborative, Medfield Cares About Prevention.

• Susan Wilson – volunteers running the Friends of the Library twice annual book sales for the past 6 years and doing the necessary weekly preparation.

• Harold Pritoni – volunteers at the Dwight-Derby House using his talents in homerepair and woodworking to greatly improve the house and the visitor experience.
• Chris Kaldy - volunteers by educating the public, including groups and the children in town about how to protect themselves against Lyme disease.
• Lisa Dolan - volunteers by educating the public, including groups and the children in town about how to protect themselves against Lyme disease.

The Medfield Foundation (MFi) recognizes by name as its Volunteer of the Year, those individual volunteers whose extraordinary efforts and activities have made a special marked difference in the quality of life in Medfield. Annually at a reception at The Center at Medfield on Ice House Road, the Medfield Foundation fetes both the Volunteer of the Year and a Youth Volunteer of the Year, as well as all those suggested for recognition for their volunteer efforts.

Nominations of others for recognition will continue to be accepted through the end of February for both the adult and youth volunteer of the year awards. Individuals recognized in past years are eligible for consideration, if nominated again.

The Volunteers of the Year are selected from amongst nominations of individuals submitted by the public, based entirely on the information submitted. Nominations are made online by describing the activities that make the nominee worthy of recognition. Past MFi volunteer of the year nominees are listed and described at the website. The Medfield Foundation believes that people taking the time and making the effort to nominate someone actually already makes Medfield a better place.