48th Annual Waban Telethon: "Making a Difference" Award Recipients
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March 16, 2019The annual Waban Telethon, an annual fundraiser in Sanford for the past 48 years, raised a record $110,725!
Waban held its telethon at the St. Ignatius Parish Hall on Riverside Avenue on Saturday, March 16. The organization, based on Dunaway Drive, off Route 4 in South Sanford, will put the raised funds towards its efforts to improve the lives of local children with developmental disabilities. Waban assists its young clients through case management, clinical services, and the programs and classes provided at the Fraser-Ford Child Development Center and its new Autism Therapy Wing.
The Waban Telethon has raised more than $2.5 million since its debut in the spring of 1971.
The Knights of Columbus were on hand to serve sandwiches, slices of pizza and doughnuts throughout the day. The Knights also held a haddock dinner in the parish hall’s cafeteria to benefit the telethon the night before. The dinner raised over $1,000. In addition, $400 was raised from the sale of food served that day.
St. Thomas Knights vending food. From left to right: Claire Sargent, John Chandonnet and Don Leeman
Late in the afternoon, John Devoid kicked off the presentation of Waban’s annual “Making a Difference” awards, which honors employees and volunteers in the community who have had a positive and significant impact on the organization and have shown a longtime commitment to its mission. John Devoid, a parishioner at St. Therese of Lisieux and a resident of one of Waban’s homes, is an employee at Secure RMS, the organization’s enterprise that provides the service of disposing of confidential documents. He has introduced the “Making a Difference” presentation with an inspirational poem every year that the awards have been given.
John Devoid (right) delivers his presentation while Waban Executive Director Neal Meltzer (left) looks on
Usually, the Community Volunteer “Making a Difference” Award goes to an individual. This time around, though, there was a twist: Meltzer handed out three such awards, one each to the St. Thomas and Springvale councils of the Knights of Columbus and the Springvale Social Club. Knights Dennis Breton, Bob Tyler, and Bob Rizzo, each representing their councils, accepted the awards.
St. Thomas Council Grand Knight Dennis Breton accepts "Making a Difference" Award from Neal Meltzer (right). John Chandonnet, St. Thomas Council Past Grand Knight is at left. St. Thomas Knight John Jalbert is second from right
From left to right: Springvale Social Club Treasurer Bob Rizzo, Springvale Council Grand Knight Bob Tyler, St. Thomas Council Knight John Jalbert, St. Thomas Council Grand Knight Dennis Breton, Waban Executive Director Neal Meltzer and Knights of Columbus District Deputy Ray Sargent