Another tremendous conference with Parent Heart Watch!

I was very lucky to be able to speak and receive the 2011 Adult Advocacy Champion Award at the conference’s opening dinner, while also hosting a Survivors’  Track throughout the weekend.  It was wonderful to meet other young survivors throughout the country and reunite with so many good friends (all while enjoying the beautiful weather and atmosphere of San Diego!)!

I was awarded St. Vincent’s Home’s highest honor, the Mission Award.  It can only be received once in a lifetime, and it is given to employees who go above and beyond our agency’s mission to give children and families in need what they need most.  It is a peer nominated award, and it meant so much to me to hear a fellow teacher speak about the ways she has seen me go above and beyond for our kids and staff at St. Vincent’s.  My family was able to share the night with me, and I am so thank ful to have even been considered for this honor.

I have been unexpectedly honored with the American Heart Association’s South Coast Board Service Award for my advocacy work regarding heart health, especially my recent actions toward educating people about Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) in children.  I am very grateful to be able to sit on the South Coast Board of Directors for the American Heart Association, and it has been a pleasure to serve in this role as I continue my heart health work.

I was very honored to have recently graduated with a certificate in Thanatology from Bristol Community College.  Thanatology is a special field that explores death, dying, grief, and loss.  It’s a subject matter we all deal with, and it’s especially useful with my being a counselor and teacher. 

Last night at graduation, shortly after my singing the national anthem, I was announced as the Hathaway Funeral Service’s recipient of the Excellence in Thanatology Award for academic excellence in the study of Thanatology, dedication to the caregiving profession, and generous community service.  My work to advocate for heart disease awareness has been a special topic for me to speak with my professor, John Tormey, and my national speaking on this topic as a means to save lives and prevent grief made him believe I was a great candidate for this award.  I am very honored…there were so many wonderful, dedicated people who graduated from the program last night, and I am certainly proud to represent our graduates!

Thank you so much to John Tormey, Hathaway Funeral Service, and President Jack Sbrega.  I received a full year tuition to B.C.C. from my winning the Miss Massachusetts title, and my academic time at this school has been so rewarding and fulfilling!

Another fun-filled night of hockey and heart health awareness!

I was able to attend the Boston Bruins’ Go Red for Women Night for the third year in a row, and this year was extremely special.  Not only was I able to return to the ice for a celebrity shoot-out (I sadly missed the net!), but I was presented with a community leadership award from the Bruins.  The real magic happened behind the scenes though…while waiting to take the ice, I happened to notice one of the Boston Celtics basketball nets conveniently located near the ground.  Being the huge Celtics fan that I am, I took this opportunity to pose while “dunking” on the rim.  Definitely a highlight of the night! 

My continued thanks to the American Heart Association for including me in such outstanding advocacy events!  A special thanks to Jeff Foley for the sweet photos, as always! 

Check out the article from the Boston Bruins website:  click in

Fall River Youth Soccer held its annual banquet where they presented their awards of recognition.  Included in these awards were the Jordan Lopes Award and Michael P. Lima Award, both in memory of young men who purely loved the game of soccer and both of with whom I grew up.  I was actually the first recipient of the Jordan Lopes Award about 10 years ago when the tradition began…

Last night I attended the banquet, this time receiving a very different award.  Joshua Hetzler and I were named the Fall River Youth Socccer Asssociation’s Volunteers of the Year for our fundraiser to place an AED on FRYSA’s playing fields, as well as to voluntarily train the league’s coaches in CPR and AED use.  Shawn Cadime and Representative Kevin Aguiar of the Fall River School Committee presented us with citations.  It was a wonderful night and a great honor!