The awards will be presented at the Bay State Chapter’s 38st Annual Awards Luncheon on Saturday, April 29, 2017, at 1 p.m., in Spinelli’s Banquet Facility, Day Square in East Boston. Tickets are $50, and can be purchased from Vice President for Awards Dottie D’Onofrio at (617) 539-3092 or donofrio35@aol.com or from Chapter Secretary Marisa Di Pietro at (617) 650-3442 or mdipietro@ebsoc.org.
The two Boston Police officers, Sgt. Norberto Perez and SWAT Team Officer Clifton Singletary, were among the officers responding to a domestic issue in an East Boston apartment when gunfire erupted and two officers were severely wounded. Despite a hail of bullets all around them, Sgt. Perez and Officer Singletary were able to pull one of their colleagues out of harm’s way and their efforts to pinch-off a bleeding artery and apply a tourniquet to his leg helped to save his life. The two officers are being honored with the Chapter’s first-ever Hero Awards for their extraordinary and exemplary life-saving act.
Mia Martucci is 12 years old and a resident of Winthrop. She is being honored with the George Washington Honor Medal for her five years of dedicated fundraising for the Boston Children’s Hospital Cancer Research Center, along with her toy drive to help lift the spirit of the children waging their battle against cancer at the Boston hospital.
Sheryl Howard of Winthrop is being honored with the George Washington Honor Medal for her “Veterans Honor Project.” She involved many participants from numerous town organizations to ensure that Veterans Road in Winthrop would be adorned with the American flag on every utility pole as a respectful remembrance for those who served the country in military service.
USMC Sgt. (Retired) Andrew Biggio of Winthrop is being honored with the George Washington Honor Medal for his leadership and dedication in helping wounded veterans. He is the founder of the “They Fought We Ride” fundraising project where more than 6,000 motorcyclists from near and far join in a ride through many communities in the Boston area, raising thousands of dollars that are used to assist wounded warriors.
Bay State Chapter Founder and Executive Director, Judge Joseph V. Ferrino (Retired), will also welcome head table guests: Boston Police Commissioner William Evans; and guest speaker Carolyn Santagelo, Director of Educational Programs and Awards at the national office of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, PA.
Tickets to the Bay State Chapter awards luncheon will include a sit-down, full-menu offering at Spinelli’s.
Freedoms Foundation honors Americans who go above and beyond in their efforts to educate their communities about the values of good citizenship. The foundation has recognized several thousand dedicated individuals and organizations in its 65-year existence. Freedoms Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching all citizens the principles upon which our nation was founded. The organization seeks to convey the close link between the rights and the responsibilities of citizens in a free society. Further information about the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge can found here.
Source: Ed Coletta, Freedoms Foundation
