Danbury Chapter Breakfast 2016

Four-Letter Words with Friends

Chris Donohue, MaryBeth Prunty, Cynthia Emiry Roy, Paul Sirois

(L to R:) Christopher Donohue; MaryBeth Prunty; Cynthia Emiry Roy, RHHC President and CEO; Paul Sirois, RHHC COO

Rising bright and early, 477 members of the Danbury community attended the 2016 Danbury Chapter Breakfast. The caring crowd raised over $37,000 in donations to support the hospice care provided at the Center for Comfort Care and Healing and the bereavement programs offered at the Healing Hearts Center for Grief and Loss. Attendees also gathered to honor two outstanding area residents, MaryBeth Prunty and Attorney Christopher Donohue, who were recipients of the 2016 Danbury Community Leadership Awards.

MaryBeth the Good Witch

Prunty was selected for her work as a devoted volunteer for RHHC’s annual golf tournament, Gala, Ridgefield Chapter Breakfast and more. As Cynthia Emiry Roy, RHHC President and CEO, explained, “…she truly is the kind of person who would give you the shirt off her back, her last few dollars or whatever you need, if you were suffering and needed support.” MaryBeth actively volunteers for several additional Danbury-area charities including Dream Come True, where she has even dressed up as Glinda the Good Witch in order to surprise a sick child with a trip to Disney World.

Favorite Four-Letter Words

In receiving the award, MaryBeth treated the large crowd, many of whom were her adoring friends and family, to a few of her favorite four-letter words. Not the naughty kind of course, but rather the kind that pertain to being of service – legs, lips and arms. She went on to explain that in order to be a volunteer you must be willing to actively use all three. She ended with the four-letter words that feel most important to her in terms of hospice care, and those are time and love. When faced with an illness, time becomes crucial, which is why she urged all attendees to tell those in their lives that they love them while they still have that precious time.

Cynthia Emiry Roy with MaryBeth Prunty and Family

Cynthia Emiry Roy with MaryBeth Prunty and Family

Proud to Serve

While Prunty’s acceptance speech was filled with heart and humility, Christopher Donohue’s was unabashedly proud. Donohue, a longtime partner at Smart, Donohue and NeJame, amused the crowd as he reflected on how doing pro bono legal work makes him feel on top of the world. Chris was selected for the leadership award due to his invaluable legal expertise in managing the closing of the Center for Comfort Care and Healing.

Volunteering Is Its Own Reward

Donohue Family

Kat, Chris, & Susanne Donohue

Donohue shared that on the way to the final closing meeting he was feeling like such an outstanding citizen that after stopping for gas he wasn’t surprised to encounter people waving and honking their horns. Even after realizing that all the attention was due to the fact that he had driven away with the gas pump still in his tank, his mood wasn’t ruined. That is how uplifting volunteering can be! Donohue’s daughter, Kat, attended the breakfast in support of her Dad after completing a 12-hour shift as an ER Nurse – proof that the sense of service and caring is a Donohue tradition. Chris’s wife, Susanne, who is an avid volunteer and RHHC supporter as well, was also there in celebration of her husband.

Gratitude to Our Danbury Chapter

Regional Hospice and Home Care is continually astounded by the Danbury community’s support for our organization and the patients and families under our care. We are especially grateful to our Chapter members who make our annual breakfast possible, including:

  • Co-Chairwomen: Hilda Barrett and Mary Anne Moore
  • Judy Batewell
  • Joan Bielizna
  • Justine Erdmann
  • Marianne Fahey
  • Sue Fisher
  • Mary Beth Hamilton
  • Louise “Buzzy” Klecha
  • Mary Larkin
  • Bernadette Linstrum
  • Louise McDevitt
  • Sara Newell
  • Theresa Taylor
  • Sandy Urban
  • And, our own Cathie Petrosky, who enthusiastically coordinates all our Chapter events.

To view more photos of the Danbury Breakfast, “Like” us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/RegionalHospiceandHomeCare

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