Well, the cat is out of the bag, and I guess I can talk about it, even though I’m not one to pat myself on the back.
This past week, the Greater Pittston YMCA honored PA Secretary of Transportation Michael Carroll; Corporate Distinction Award went to the Adonizio Funeral Home; Scott Verdine received the Sam Milazzo Volunteer of the Year Award; Molly Fetchko and Kevin Wiedl received the James and Jean Yates Youth Leadership Award, and I have been honored to receive the Spirit of the Community Award.
I have not received a lot of awards in my life, nor have I been seeking them. When Jeremy Popiel, YMCA director told me over lunch that I would be receiving the award, the first question I had was, “Isn’t there someone more deserving them me to get the award?”
In my mind’s eye, I’m only doing my job, and when you do whatever you are supposed to be doing for a living, you don’t necessarily deserve an award, maybe a raise, but not an award.
Jeremy gave me his best pitch on why I deserve such an accolade for about 10 minutes, and in the end I asked him to give me some time to think about it.
Well, after being convinced by my daughters a week later, I told Jeremy I was in.
Honestly, I know my family is happy for me and, of course, delighted, but I can’t stop thinking of how proud my late parents would be.
Mom would as happy as can be and my dad would be telling everyone he ran into for the next few months.
I could think back to my childhood when my brother had been playing in a few cover bands growing up and my dad would always gloat over that telling anyone that would listen that his son was in a “combo.” I guess combo back in his day was the equivalent of what we would call a band.
As a recipient of the award, we had to do a video acceptance speech that was played before the gathering this past week at The Banks.
When I got to the part of wishing my parents were here to see me receive the award, the video was cut just before I got super emotional. I remember turning to Jeremy and saying, “Wow, I’m not sure where that came from.” I mean my voice was starting to quiver.
And I can’t tell you how many functions I’ve covered where people were receiving proclamations from the PA State Senate or the PA House of Representatives thinking I’d never get to receive such a document in person. Surprise! I did, we all did that evening.
I also received a beautiful glass award trophy that I will prominently display in the house. As a matter of fact, I’ll put it near the Cancer Survivor Award I received from Paint Pittston Pink organization, now known as Paint the Planet Pink.
I couldn’t be happier or prouder to receive such lovely awards by two great nonprofits in Greater Pittston doing incredible things for our area and beyond.
My fellow recipients are all deserving of their respective awards. I’ve known the Adonizio family for many years and they truly earn any award they deserve. The best part is, they are one tight-knit family that gets to work with each other on a daily basis in an age when families are disbursing all over the place to live and work.
Scott Verdine is a man I’ve gotten to know over the last few years through my work with the paper. Scott is a go-getter and a driven man to see thing through to the end. I saw that firsthand when he took on the massive project of redoing the old Cee-Kay Auto Supply store on Main Street, Pittston.
He had some great vision with that property, and he made a dream into a reality.
The Youth Leadership awardees Molly and Kevin are also so deserved.
Molly was one of my go-to people when she was a student at Pittston Area. I always found her gracious, polite, and kind and I can only wish her the best of luck at Penn State Main in her freshman year.
I can also say Kevin, who I only know as a great athlete at Wyoming Area, will also go far in this world and look forward to his journey as he goes through life.
What can we say about Michael Carroll? He was one of our area’s State Representatives for many years, stepping into the shoes of the late Tom Tigue as a PA State representative and now as the Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of PA. He’s a great guy doing great things for our area and now our state.
I’m so honored to be a part of the YMCA’s Class of 2024 award recipients.
The entire night went smoothly including my youngest daughter actually being on time to the awards dinner. There was a great crowd and I hope the Y made a lot of money for one of their larger fundraisers on the year. Congrats, YMCA!
Quote of the Week
“Like an image in a dream the world is troubled by love, hatred, and other poisons. So long as the dream lasts, the image appears to be real; but on awaking it vanishes.” — Samuel Johnson
Thought of the Week
“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” — Henry Van Dyke
Bumper Sticker
“Life isn’t a matter of milestone, but of moments.” — Rose Kennedy
