PITTSTON — The Greater Pittston YMCA brought the annual dinner and community awards came back to the city when Mount Carmel Hall hosted the 2018 event. The event had previously been held at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
The hall was filled to capacity with friends, supporters and well-wishers of the YMCA and award recipients on Nov. 8.
Five annual awards presented were the James & Jean Yates Youth Leadership, the Sam Milazzo Volunteer of the Year, Corporate Distinction, Spirit of Community and Lifetime Achievement. Pittston City Mayor Michael Lombardo served as master of ceremonies.
“We look forward to this night every year at the annual awards,” said Leslie Widdick, Greater Pittston YMCA executive director. “It just represents how tight-knit our community is and how many people want to do good for our community.”
The James and Jean Yates Award recipient is 17-year-old Jenna Smith, a high honors senior at Pittston Area High School where she is a two-time, all conference second team soccer all-star. She is also a member of the track team, medaling the last two years. Smith is a member of the school’s Key Club, Leo Club, Garden Club and Zero Conflict Club. In her spare time, she volunteers at the YMCA.
“It means so much; I think it’s a huge honor to receive such a great award,” said Smith, who will attend college to major in forensics.
“Joleen Lazecki speaks for herself; she volunteers for everything,” Widdick said of the Sam Milazzo Volunteer of the Year Award recipient. “She was an easy choice for this year’s award.”
Lazecki is involved with the Paint Pittston Pink organization, Second Friday Art Walk, Pittston Tomato Festival Committee and, more recently, Arte Fekts Art Gallery.
“I was shocked but I’m honored and humbled by this,” Lazecki said. “It’s a wonderful recognition but I don’t think about that when I volunteer. What I do is easy when you have leadership like Mike (Mayor Lombardo), Mary (Kroptavich), Lori (Nocito) and Jay (Jason Klush) and Paint Pittston Pink.”
Lazecki went on to thank her parents for teaching her the importance of respect and to value people, to give when you can give and to treat people with dignity and respect.
Receiving this year’s Corporate Distinction Award was the Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18. Executive Director Anthony (Tony) Grieco accepted the award from Lois Ostrowski, widow of former LIU executive director Michael Ostrowski.
The YMCA Spirit of Community Award when to the Brian Cashmere Fund. Cashmere was a Pittston Area student/athlete whose life was cut short in 2001 at the age of 17. His friends from the Pittston Area Class of 2002 formed the fund to honor him.
Each year, the fund has been able to award thousands of dollars in scholarships in Cashmere’s name to further the education of Pittston Area graduates. Corey Cortese and Tim Cotter from the Cashmere Fund accepted the award from Greater Pittston YMCA Board Member William Burke, Esq.
The final award of the night, the Lifetime Achievement Award, went to Joe and Carmelina Agolino, who were on hand with their entire family to receive the award. The Agolinos’ son Sam spoke on behalf his parents and family.
“My parents are truly humbled to be presented with this award for just working hard and providing a place to go whether it be a quick breakfast, a late leisurely lunch or any of the many family celebrations everyone has,” Agolino said.
Agolino went on to say his parents worked hard with father Joe running the business and mother Carm raising the family. He acknowledged his parents on behalf of his siblings for instilling a great sense of work ethic stating, “We have always looked up to our parents in admiration of their ethic. In doing so, we have all developed a great set of skills and our own strong work ethic.”
The night ended with the Agolinos receiving a standing ovation when accepting their award.
