We recently learned the identities of this years winners of the 2016 Charles Fazzino Award of the Heart. The award, given annually by Project Community, Inc (formerly Nurses Network of America) was named “in honor of the international pop artist whose sensitivity to community needs has made him a valued friend of Project Community, Inc. for over 30 years. The award recognizes generosity of spirit, creativity and resources that support innovative programs that inform and offer practical choices to prevent illness for children, teens and adults.”
This year’s winners, Larissa DelPonte and Coutney O’Beirne, will be honored at a ceremony on June 1st. We couldn’t wait to honor them….so here they are! They are both seniors at Pelham Memorial High School and they are receiving this award because they organized and implemented a Color Run to benefit Project Community, Inc, in Pelham. The Color Run held in September, 2015 attracted over 500 participants and raised over $13,000.00 to benefit community-based programs.
Project Community, Inc is a grassroots community-based organization that concentrates on helping some of its most vulnerable people including seniors, children, and the developmentally disabled. Their mission is achieved through education (ie: educating teens and young adults how to identify and quickly intervene when someone exhibits signs and symptoms of alcohol poisoning), and they are dedicated to the health and well being of our global community.
“I’m so proud of both Courtney and Larissa,” stated Fazzino from his art studio in New Rochelle. “Project Community is out there everyday helping people and bettering the world around them. Just as importantly, they are inspiring our youth to get involved and to care….kids like Courtney and Larissa who are the future….they are glorious examples of what we hope for in the youth of today and I congratulate them on their great success!”
