PITTSTON — Over 250 business leaders, community activists and supporters filled the St. Joseph Marello Parish Thursday evening to celebrate the contributions of six of Pittston’s finest to an organization that remains a community cornerstone.
The Greater Pittston YMCA annual dinner and community awards event offered plenty of laughter and leadership as it made its way through award categories ranging from youth leadership to a lifetime achievement award.
Pausing from greeting guests, Pittston YMCA Chief Volunteer Officer Kevin O’Boyle took a moment to speak about the event’s inception and the importance of having such an organization in the community.
The YMCA provides a vast array of programs and services to the community it serves, keeping a focus particularly on seniors, young children and their families. Hosting an awards dinner not only acts as a core fundraiser for the nonprofit, he explained, but also allows the organization an opportunity to honor those who help carry the mission.
“This event honors community leaders. It’s about service; it’s about community and building community,” he said. “It brings Greater Pittston together. People build new relationships and networks, and it helps to fund some of the programming that we run throughout the year.”
This year’s main honoree has helped carry the torch for decades, and is also the reason seating for the dinner sold out almost a month early, O’Boyle said as he spoke of Atty. Michael I. Butera.
The 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Butera has steadily kept his feet planted within a variety of community organizations and causes — as well as being a prior president of the Greater Pittston YMCA Board. Without the Pittston Y, Butera said, he wouldn’t have had the chance to experience many of his most memorable firsts.
“I’ve been a member of the Pittston YMCA since I was 4 years old. I learned how to swim at the YMCA. I learned how to play basketball at the YMCA. I learned how to play football at the YMCA,” he said. “I’ve been a member for 64 years.”
Across the room, Gloria Adonizio Blandina was grateful and excited to be a part of the festivities. The Care and Concern Free Clinic Director was chosen for the Sam Milazzo Volunteer of the Year Award for her dedication to serving those most in need in the community.
Looking around the packed room, she noted how her team and the event are similar. Both the clinic and the YMCA would not be able to continue without the support of its team, including the community itself.
“The Y is very, very special. Everyone has a memory of the Y, and to be part of this is very special,’ she said. “The fact that the community is supporting one of the most important parts of the community is wonderful.”