United Way Honors The Taunton Press

The Taunton Press of Newtown was a Spirit of Caring Award winner at the United Way of Northern Fairfield County’s community celebration March 9 at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury.

The event celebrated the most successful community fund-raising campaign in the local United Way history with a total raised of $3,160,960. Nearly 300 businesses were represented by the more than 400 persons who attended the banquet.

The Taunton Press was one of nine Spirit of Caring Award winners. The award is presented to companies who run successful United Way campaigns, have supportive leadership, and are considered runners up to Campaign of the Year, an award presented this year to Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutical and Cendant Mobility of Danbury.

Taunton Press was honored for its high percentage increase, exemplary per capita giving, and outstanding employee participation. Jan and Paul Roman were recognized for a generous corporate donation by pledging to match, dollar for dollar, employee funds raised.

Carl Bailey, president of Bailey Financial, received the Peter T. White Award as an outstanding community volunteer. John C. Kline, executive vice president of Union Savings Bank, received the Forrest C. Palmer Service Award, given to a volunteer who has unselfishly contributed to the United Way and made a difference in the community.

Other notable winners included GE Capital and Union Carbide Corporation, who each were presented with the United Way of Northern Fairfield County’s first Spirit of Excellence Legacy Award, created to honor companies who have displayed longstanding community support and leadership.

The United Way’s community building campaign began in the fall of 1999 with a goal of raising $3,030,000 in its seven-town region of Bethel, Brookfield, Newtown, New Fairfield, Redding, Ridgefield, and Danbury. Through its Community Fund, United Way supports programs within nonprofit agencies that address highest critical community needs as determined by a priority study.  Newtown Youth Services and the Family Counseling Center, Inc., of Newtown are among those agencies whose programs have received United Way funding.

John Mack, vice president of the United Way of Northern Fairfield County, said, “We depend on the citizens and businesses in each of the seven towns to assist us in our community building efforts. We are all partners in fulfilling our mission of building a better, stronger, more caring community.”