A Calling From Above
For Celebrate Plainville! Award Recipient, It’s Better To Give Than Receive
Retirement, for many, is the brass ring in the game of life; years of hard work are finally rewarded with precious time for leisure and relaxation – or at least one can hope.
But for others, retirement means that their work has just begun, with their only compensation being the reward of a larger purpose fulfilled. Joseph Plourde of Plainville is one of those special few for whom retirement is not a time to relax, but a time to give back. And the time has come to give back to Joe. Joe’s spirit of giving and years of volunteerism have earned him the honor of being the recipient of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain’s 2007 Celebrate Plainville! community service award.
“Come July, I’ll be retired 21 years,” says Joe, a native of New Brunswick, Canada and Korean War veteran who worked for years in engineering and maintenance for the West Hartford school system. “I’ve been doing volunteer work for about that long, too. I figure I just want to give back what the good Lord has given me.”
Joe has certainly given back – in spades. He and his wife Rosia have been regular volunteers at the Plainville Senior Center, where they enjoy helping get the Center’s monthly newsletter out, among other deeds. For years, they both spent many hours volunteering at Brittany Farms Health Center in Farmington; Rosia even received a citation for her volunteer work back in the 1980s from then-President Reagan.
But it is the mission and work of the Plainville Community Food Pantry that is closest to Joe’s heart. One of about 80 volunteers at the South Canal Street facility, Joe spends five days a week there doing everything from maintenance and repairs to stocking shelves to preparing holiday baskets to assisting the program’s clients with their needs.
“Joe’s famous line is ‘If you need anything, give me a call,’” says Justin Woerz of the Food Pantry, who nominated Joe for the award. “There couldn’t be a more accurate reflection of the kind of person and volunteer he is. He deserves this.”
“I’m 79 years old now,” Joe explains as he helps stack Easter gift baskets. “I have a lot of time on my hands. What better way to spend it than by giving back? I really enjoy coming down here and spending time with the other volunteers. Lord knows they could use the help.”
Other nominees for this year’s Plainville award, all Plainville residents with extensive histories of community service, included Perry Cole, Karen Hodge, Mary Karnuk and David Niedzwiecki, Sr.
Serving on the Selection Committee were William Petit, Owner/President of William Petit Properties, LLC in Plainville, who served as chairperson; Dr. Kathleen Binkowski, Superintendent, Plainville Community Schools; Linda Ferguson, Assistant Controller, Carling Technologies, Inc.; Robert Frazee, Sales Manager and Loan Officer, Family Choice Mortgage; Signe Guzzo, Corporate Secretary/Treasurer, Ideal Machinery & Supply Co.; Robin Lee Michel, Managing Editor, The Plainville Citizen; Gail Millerick, a Plainville resident and Director of Development, MidState Medical Center; Lynda Russell, Co-Owner, The Window Shop, Inc.; and Richard Williams, President, The D.R. Templeman Co.
The Celebrate Plainville! Award, co-sponsored by The Plainville Citizen, is part of the Foundation’s four-town Celebrate Our Communities! community service awards program in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. The Celebrate Awards have four objectives: To raise awareness of the importance of volunteerism and community service; to offer recognition to deserving volunteers who have made a difference in their communities; to provide financial support to local charities; and to raise awareness of the important work that the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain does in its four service communities.
Joe will be honored as part of the festivities at an April 12 Plainville Chamber of Commerce Open House and Ribbon Cutting at International Monetary Systems, 103 East Main Street. The event takes place from 5-7 p.m. As the recipient, Joe earns the right to designate a $2,500 grant award from the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain to a Plainville charity or community service organization of his choice. That selection will be announced at the event.
Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain connects donors who care with causes that matter in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. It does this by raising resources and developing partnerships that make a measurable improvement in the quality of life in each of these communities.
For more information on the Foundation, please call 860.229.6018 or visit www.cfgnb.org.
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