Winners of the Community Spirit Awards presented by the Watertown Youth Coalition.
The Watertown Youth Coalition celebrated work done by a number of people this year by presenting them with “Community Spirit Awards.”
On June 16, the awards were handed out to recognize people for going above and beyond to support youth and families in Watertown.
Each year, the Watertown Youth Coalition (WYC), part of Wayside Multi-Service Center, asks the community to nominate people who:
- Serve as a positive influence or mentor to a Coalition member or to others in the community
- Have the courage to address challenging issues that affect youth and the community
- Actively take steps to improve the Watertown community (in big and small ways)
This year, awards were presented to:
Dean Celesia, Kate Coyne, Patrick Dawson, Danielle DeMoss, Alice Elbakian, Judy Fallows, Mana Farhani, Pedro Figueroa, Michelle Foun, Raymond Fox, Friends of Watertown Music, Adrine Harutyunyan, Kelly Horan, Diane Murphy, Sabrina Nebiye, Meghan O’Connell, Tony Palomba, Elisa Portz, Watertown Education Foundation, Ashlee Wisniewsk and Elizabeth Wissler.
The Watertown Youth Coalition thanked these awardees and the people that nominated them.
“Watertown is a wonderful community with so many caring adults looking out for the interest of the youth living here!” the WYC said in its announcement.
The WYC also thanked Ralph Vitiello, General Manager of Not Your Average Joe’s restaurant in Watertown, for not only providing a generous amount of food for the celebration but for his commitment to youth in the Watertown community. For the past two years, Ralph served as co-chair for the WYC’s Steering Committee and has given his time, creative ideas and spirit to our coalition during some of hisbusiest seasons at the restaurant.
“Ralph’s presence will be missed as he is assisting in opening a new restaurant in Waltham and will hopefully continue share his infinite wisdom with this new community. We are ever so grateful for his generosity and commitment to the WYC,” the announcement said.