2020 Ability Awareness Award recipients announced

The Resource Center is pleased to announce the recipients of its 32^nd annual Ability Awareness Awards.

The awards recognize people with disabilities who have made significant accomplishments, as well as TRC employees, community members and businesses that have improved the lives of people with disabilities. This year’s award recipients are:

Advocate of the Year – Jennifer DeWolf of Sheridan
Business/Employer of the Year – Can Kings of Fredonia and Silver Creek
Community Partnership Award – YMCA Camp Onyahsa in Dewittville
Bruce Walford Community Service Award – Wendy Wilcox of Jamestown
Health Provider of the Year – Nancy Hunt of Jamestown
Edwin Roth Mental Health Award – Ashlee Terry of Sheffield, PA
Outstanding Achievement Award – Brianna Wicks of Westfield
Personal Success Award – Courtney Poitras of Jamestown
Elmer Muench Volunteer of the Year – Peter Carlo of Jamestown

In addition, Mary Davis of Jamestown will receive an award for being honored by New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc.  NYSID selected Davis for recognition through its annual William B. Joslin Outstanding Performance Award Program, which awards workers with disabilities from across New York State.

The Ability Awareness Awards usually are presented at a large celebration, but that will not take place this year because of the pandemic.  Instead, the awards will be presented at several small celebrations.  Those presentations will be recorded and then shared at a watch party.  Details will be announced soon.

We salute all of the nominees, and we thank everyone who took time to submit a nomination.  We also thank those community members who volunteered their time to serve on the selection committee that chose the award recipients.  The selection committee members were Sandy Ahlgren, a retired teacher; Toni DeAngelo, retired wellness director at UPMC Chautauqua; Dan Hocking, co-owner of ACME The Appliance Store; Elizabeth Williams, a member of The Resource Center’s Board of Directors; and Barrie Yochim, executive director of Meals on Wheels of the Jamestown Area.

For more information about the awards or the celebrations being planned, contact Victoria Trass Bardo, Development and Events Manager, at (716) 661-1477 or vicky.bardo@resourcecenter.org.

Click here if you’d like to make a donation to our TRC Excellence Awards Fund in honor of one or more of this year’s honorees.  Your contribution will help cover the cost of our awards celebrations.