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LEWISTON – Healthy Androscoggin presented its 2017 Coalition Awards at its recent annual meeting at the Auburn Public Library. The Coalition Awards — Leadership and Partnership — recognize exemplary individuals or organizations working to improve the health of the local and regional community.
The Leadership Award is granted to an individual who has exemplified superior leadership in their work in the community and for their diligence and altruism in improving public health and promoting the ideals of Healthy Androscoggin. This year, the Leadership Award was presented to Kathy Durgin-Leighton, executive director of the YWCA of Central Maine.
As Healthy Androscoggin’s Executive Director Erin Guay said in her introduction, “Under Kathy’s leadership, the YWCA of Central Maine has become a site of community transformation in Lewiston-Auburn. Kathy has been a tireless worker in the pursuit of helping to create a safe, supportive community for women of all cultures and races.
“She has provided support and resources to develop and implement a single-gender swim program as well as a single-gender walking program to promote health and wellness where women, especially Muslim, can feel comfortable and welcomed. Kathy lives the mission of the organization — eliminating racism and empowering women. She does this through programming for girls, women and families that is inclusive and sensitive to the particular needs of all of the members of our community. She does not stray from the mission of the organization but finds unique ways to articulate this mission in word and deed.”
The Partnership Award recognizes an individual or organization that has exemplified superior partnership with Healthy Androscoggin and has worked diligently and altruistically to help further Healthy Androscoggin’s mission and vision in the community. Healthy Androscoggin presented this year’s Partnership Award to Nate Miller, Aging and Disabilities Resource Center manager at Seniors Plus.
Holly Lasagna, REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) program manager at Healthy Androscoggin, said, “For the last three years, Nate has been a key partner in Healthy Androscoggin collaboration with Seniors Plus’ implementation of the REACH program. The goal of the REACH program is to help New Mainers get healthy and stay healthy. Nate has been instrumental in facilitating cultural competency training for staff and development of culturally appropriate services within Seniors Plus in the area of chronic disease self-management.
“By thoughtfully integrating his understanding of issues affecting the general elder population with the challenges experienced by the New Mainer community, Nate has helped us advance the REACH program’s work with elder New Mainers in the community. He has also been instrumental in collaborating on creating a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program specifically for New Mainers. Nate is a kind-hearted, intelligent and devoted member of the community. He is willing to be creative and innovative in how he collaborates with Healthy Androscoggin and the REACH program. He is not dissuaded by challenges orobstacles and addresses them in a quiet, caring way.”
“What Kathy and Nate have done for our communities is immeasurable,” said Guay. “Both are making significant contributions to the success of Healthy Androscoggin’s mission and have been wonderful partners to work with. We sincerely thank them and look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”
For more information, contact Healthy Androscoggin at 207-795-5990, info@healthyandroscoggin.org or visit www.healthyandroscoggin.org.
