Foundation Announces 2021 Champion Award Recipients

New Britain, Conn., September 20, 2020 – The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain (CFGNB) is proud to announce the recipients of five Champion Awards for 2021. The CFGNB established their Champion Awards in order to celebrate and recognize individuals, businesses, organizations, civic groups, and others who have supported the activities of the Foundation in a manner that allowed it to fulfill its mission even more effectively and efficiently.

This year, the Foundation has named Acme Monaco and Rebecca Karabin-Ahern, Mark and Maria Bernacki, Jerome Home, Schaller Auto and Art Schaller, and Paulette Fox as their 2021 recipients.

• Acme Monaco and Rebecca Karabin-Ahern for consistent and generous support of the Civic Leadership Fund, for allowing her IT specialist to provide advice on technology upgrades, and especially for logistical support of our reusable bag project in storing and transporting thousands of bags.
• Mark and Maria Bernacki for long-standing support of CFGNB in providing discounted printed materials from Sir Speedy when they owned it, for consistent and generous support of the Civic Leadership Fund and Catalyst, and for sponsoring various projects such as the Chamber reception hosted at our Foundation Center a few years ago.
• Jerome Home for its long-standing generosity in providing donated space and refreshments repeatedly for board and staff retreats and workshops connected to our programs.
• Schaller Auto and Art Schaller for their donation of the use of their digital billboard for several weeks during Census 2020 efforts to remind residents to respond. This amounted to thousands of dollars of donated visibility by everyone driving along Route 9.
• Paulette Fox for volunteering, as a Catalyst member, to secure a donated appropriate outdoor space that could host the September Catalyst meeting during the Pandemic. She secured a fantastic arrangement with Tunxis Country Club and the event was very successful and safe.

Previous Champion Award recipients include Andrea Tarantino of Napcon Communications, 5 Churches Brewing, Jason Howey and OKAY Industries, Stanley Black & Decker, and Witch Doctor Brewing for their incredible support of the Foundation and its programs and events.

To learn more about the Champion Awards and to see a list of previous recipients, please visit www.cfgnb.org/champion-awards.

Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is “Where Good Begins” in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. The Foundation works to inspire philanthropy, responsibly manage permanent charitable assets, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership. For more information, visit www.cfgnb.org.