Annual Northeast Sight Services Awards Dinner held at Woodlands
Oct. 28—PLAINS TWP. — The Annual Northeast Sight Services Annual Awards Dinner returned for its second post-pandemic offering Thursday night at The Woodlands, and it did not disappoint.
Not only did the event raise awareness for Northeast Sight Services' mission, achieve its goal of highlighting community leaders, volunteers, and those living independently with blindness, there was a fair amount of impromptu comedy on behalf of Coleman Plecker, whose remarks towards the end of the evening left the roughly 250 guests in attendance audibly belly laughing.
Northeast Sight Services President and CEO, Sara Gorgone Peperno told a reporter before the kickoff at 5:30 p.m., "This is where we honor and recognize a lot of the people that make our organization so successful year 'round," and celebration was evident about the Grand Ballroom.
Emcee'd by Dr. Brian O'Donnell, who co-chaired the dinner with his wife, Marcy, the event started off with an open bar and buffet style offerings. Come 7 p.m., Brian and Marcy took to the stage to begin the festivities. Homage was paid to the late Max Bartikowsky, who died on Oct. 18. O'Donnell then spoke to the evening's mission to "honor those people who makes our lives better."
O'Donnell noted he had big shoes to fill, stepping in for usual emcee Rabbi Larry Kaplan, but he certainly made the position his own, and drew his own laughs while also taking his time to plug the ongoing online auction, which ends today, Friday, Oct. 28 at noon. All proceeds from the auction go back into Northeast Sight Services and their various programs. There's also the Ultimate Wheelbarrow of Cheer, a boozy basket of gifts including cash and gift cards totaling $2,500. More information can be found at northeastsight.org.
The evening's remarks held a similar theme: celebrating the noble work of Northeast Sight Services, community engagement and activism, and acknowledging those who won't be hindered by a disability.
Mary Hirthler of Jacobi Capital Management quoted Maya Angelou in her remarks. "I've learned that people will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people never forget how you made them feel," she said, and it was fitting quote for Thursday's environment. Gratitude was palpable throughout.
Mary Alice Trainor spoke to her award's namesake, Anna Cervenak, calling her, "a true force of nature" with a "fierce passion" for identifying need in the community and addressing it. Trainor's daughter was born blind, and as Trainor noted, her daughter serves as her inspiration and team member. She also remarked that Peperno and Northeast Sight Director of Development, Amy Marie Feldman, "laser-focused" and Northeast Sight functions as it does because of the team there.
Robert West was unable to be in attendance to accept his award, so instead, clients of Northeast Sight Services offered remarks. The aforementioned Plecker drew raucous laughs as he marveled at Caesar salads served in mason jars, remarking that there's a much better chance for a blind person to find home for their fork and truly experience "what it's like to shoot fish in a barrel." He added, "Becoming a part of Northeast Sight Services has been a great experience. I don't wish it on anybody, but it's been a great experience."
And that's indicative of the mission. Surely no one wishes to be blind but Northeast Sight Services and their supporters are certain to be there to truly make an impact when needed.
The evening's full list of awards and awardees is as follows:
—Marion Pollock Community Partnership Award — Geisinger
—Distinguished community Service Award — Jacobi Capital Management
—Golden Anna Cervenak Community Impact Award — Mary Alice Trainor
—Arlene Phillips Achievement Award — Robert West
