Second Annual

March 28, 2009
Cornucopia in Torrington

2009 Hero Awards

Leo is Chairman of the Torrington Veterans Support Committee, a city chartered committee responsible for honoring and supporting our veterans, past and present.  He organizes the annual Memorial Day Parade and ceremonies for Veterans Day, Pearl Harbor Day, Gulf War Veterans Day, and Armed Forces Day.  For these, he arranges all of the activities, lines up participates and honorees, acts as Emcee, and gives speeches and presents awards.  Leo also produces the weekly cable television program, Veteran’s View.

He was instrumental in the clean-up of several unsightly traffic islands and intersections in Torrington, working with the Mayor’s office, City Council, and DOT.  He participated on the committee to establish a dog park in Torrington, and is the organizer and captain of his neighborhood Block Watch program, including the Annual Night Out program. 

Leo  is the Financial Secretary and member of the board of the Torrington chapter of UNICO National and Past President and, member of the Oliver Wolcott Technical High School Alumni Association.

Sarah, Thomas and Anna put aside their sibling rivalry when it mattered.  They worked as a team, showed compassion, and understood their priorities, while showing the solid core values their parents instill in them. Last year Sarah and Anna they were the subjects for the Good Samaritan award won by their neighbor, Kendrick Lechner, a student at Middlebury’s Memorial Middle School. 

More recently, Angel set out to change the quality of life in his neighborhood on Lydia Street in the East end of Waterbury, where he had resided since 2005.  Prior to October, 2008, Lydia Street faced difficulties common, unfortunately, to so many neighborhoods in Waterbury.  Break-ins, vandalism, and speeding cars were not uncommon.  Unfortunately, a “mind your own business” mindset had set in. 

Angel researched and implemented a Neighborhood Watch program.  First, he communicated with the neighborhood’s families by letter, and then in person, as he recruited all 22 households into the program.  Further, he was the catalyst for a true neighborhood spirit taking hold, in spite of the diverse cultural and age backgrounds that exist.  The neighbors now hold regular meetings and have a newsletter.  They are well known to their Waterbury Police Community Relations Officer.  They have taken back control of their neighborhood and their lives.

Sponsored by

During 2008, 42% of Alcoa Howmet’s 180 employees volunteered hundreds of hours supporting over 15 non-profits in northwest Connecticut.  Alcoa Howmet sponsored a blood drive, and employees organized 5 internal fund raising events, engaging the entire work force, which raised over $1000 for the non-profits.  This was embellished by Alcoa Inc. and the Alcoa Foundation, resulting in over $100,000 to worthy organizations in surrounding towns. 

Further, the Alcoa Foundation sponsored 4 middle school and high school teachers to attend the City of Neighborhoods Program (helping towns rebuild) in New Orleans and the Keystone Institute, an environmental program in Colorado.  Lessons learned wee brought back to the classroom. They sponsor employees to participate in the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce Leadership program which focuses on community improvement.

Isabel received her college degree from Assumption College in Worcester, MA with a double major in Biology and English in 1997, but didn’t have any intention of being a teacher.  However, after substitute teaching experiences and work at the Upward Bound Math/Science Program at the University or Maine, she had found her calling.  She graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, CT with a Master's degree in English and a teaching certificate in 1998.

In 1999, she began teaching English at Wilby High in Waterbury and has been there ever since.  Besides her classroom responsibilities, she has been the Student Council advisor at Wilby running 2 blood drives a year, annual Thanksgiving food drives, Anti-drug campaigns, pep rallies, and serving as faculty member of the National Honor Society.  She is the class advisor to this year’s senior class, and has a new role on the “Positive Behavior Support” team.

She is most proud of her role as the school's organizer and team captain for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.  Graduates who participated with her in this event have created their own team and are continuing the tradition of bringing awareness to cancer and raising money for cancer research and patients. Her parents (Maria and Antonio Nunes), husband (Mark Siraco), and sister (Micaela Nunes) inspire her daily and provide the love and support to keep her going.

After moving to Thomaston in 1985, he again volunteered for the local EMS group.  He continues to work with Thomaston Volunteer Ambulance Corps (TVAC) in a teaching capacity, where he is the Training Officer and Infectious Disease Officer.  He has also been an instructor for Campion Ambulance Service for the past 6 years.  He is on call approximately 1,300 hours per year.

Skip is also the Chairman of the Northwest Connecticut Emergency Medical Services Council, a volunteer position.  He represents TVAC on the State of Connecticut Volunteer Committee of the Dept. of Public Health, the Regional EMS Council, and sub-region, also volunteer positions.  He is certified to teach at the State Police Academy in Meriden.  He is on the regional faculty for the American Heart Association, holds an instructorship in Emergency Vehicle Operations, and routinely conducts first aid and CPR training for Thomaston’s Emergency Response Team.  He has worked with dozens of organizations and instructed thousands of EMS students within the state.

Skip was the recipient of the Rotary Club of Thomaston’s “Distinguished Citizen Award” in 2008 and the State of Connecticut EMS Award for distinguished service in 2007.

On January 22, 2008, conditions were extremely unfavorable - below 0 degrees!  At 1:56 AM, Waterbury FD received a call for a building on fire at 22 Pearl Street, a three story (three family) wood frame structure that housed 15 occupants.

While the other members of the FD were trying to bring the "fully involved" fire under control, Gary noticed that there was an individual on the third floor porch that was getting ready to jump. Gary made the quick decision to maneuver the ladder between a set of primary and secondary high tension power lines to reach the porch

Gary rushed up the unmanned ladder without any fire protection gear (helmet, protective clothing, etc.) amid heavy fire and smoke.  In addition to the power lines, weight on the unmanned ladder was a concern. The ladder could move, or even collapse, depending on the load, further thwarting rescue attempts. However, he was able to safely remove the person preparing to jump.

After saving the first person, Gary helped three additional individuals climb over the porch railing. He used a "bear hug" to safely evacuate them from the raging fire. Gary's quick thinking enabled him to single-handedly rescue two men and two women!  Waterbury Fire Chief Mike Maglione nominated Gary for this Heroes award.

After arriving to do some hiking and fishing, they heard a woman frantically yelling for help.  Responding to the woman’s distress calls, Charlie and son quickly reached the location where her husband had fallen 50 – 60 feet. Following his Dad’s instructions, Nathan went back to the park entrance to direct emergency responders to the location where the man fell.   This allowed Charlie to focus on helping the distressed man.  Disregarding his own safety, Charlie climbed down the unstable rock and crossed a 10 foot wide brook to reach the fallen victim.  He propped the man up, and applied pressure to a gash on his head, and worked to maintain the victim’s consciousness.

When police and fire personnel arrived, Nathan directed them to the scene of the fall.  Emergency personnel lifted him out of the ravine and transported him to Waterbury Hospital. It was determined that the man had a severe head laceration, fractured skull, and broken collarbone. Charlie downplayed his actions, saying that any other Good Samaritan would have done the same and praising his 11 year old son for following his instructions.

In particular, he has been the most generous benefactor for the Crosby High School Young Parents Program, The program provides a developmentally appropriate, nurturing, and caring environment for the infants of Waterbury Public School students.  The program encourages teen parents to stay in school after the birth of their child, assists them in graduating from high school and, in some cases, to continue their education.  It provides these young women with guidance and social services to help them cope with the responsibilities of their education and family life.

He donates funds directly to the program, has provided for college scholarships for needy students, and stops by frequently to see what else is needed.  More importantly, Dr. Foster gives his time to kids…listening, caring, loving.

Last fall, she coordinated the Mobile Dentist visit, allowing many children to receive dental evaluations and care.  She is a frequent guest speaker in the school’s Science classes on topics including nutrition, high blood pressure, and the value of regular exercise.  She enriches the lives of special education students as they deal with occupational therapy, chair-bound issues, or other emotional and physical challenges.  Nearly one hundred children per day visit Nurse Clark for cases such as asthma, diabetes, allergies, skinned knees, and even heart monitoring devices.  Through it all, Priscilla Clark maintains a sense of duty and humility. Priscilla advises that , “ A positive comment can do wonders.”

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In 1987, he joined the Waterbury Police Department as a patrolman.  He completed his BS in General Studies at UConn in 1992; a Masters in Forensic Science at Univ. of New Haven in 1994; and a JD from UConn Law School in 1997.  He was promoted to Sergeant in 2000, Lieutenant in 2004, and to Captain in December, 2007.

He started the Waterbury Police Academy in 2004 and ran the academy for four years.  The evolution of the academy was based heavily on his prior military experience.  Currently, he is the evening shift commander, supervising approximately 70 personnel.  He is the SWAT team deputy commander.  He was named Waterbury Police Officer of the Year in 2004 by the Exchange Club and in 2008 by the Elks Club. He has recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq, for which he detailed his experiences in a 19 article series for the Waterbury Republican-American.

Also meet our 2008 Heroes