About Town: Rye Volunteers in the News

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the community and right now at least one organization –Rye’s -- is looking for a transfusion when it comes to flower power. While the Rye threw verbal bouquets at three of its most outstanding “vols” Wednesday night during its annual awards dinner at the Apawamis  Club.

Let’s start with the budding need for flower power because About Town (AT) has an ecumenical suggestion to help solve that need.

Resurrection’s Flower Committee needs volunteers who will be assigned one month in the year to help maintain plants and flowers in and around the church at 910 Boston Post Rd.  So green thumbs are wanted and needed.

Vols are requested to contact Mary O’Byrne (967-9488) or Dolores Molly (966-8233).

AT has a suggestion. Perhaps Rye’s flower power groups extraordinaire -- The Rye Garden Club and/or The Little Garden Club of Rye –could consider making an ecumenical move to share their time, talent and expertise with the Resurrection Flower Committee.

Just a thought. And just asking because you never know when it comes to the lillies of the field or whether it will start raining daffodils.

Which brings us the Rye Y and the Apawamis dinner. The Y honored three outstanding volunteers in Lisa Murphy, Michael Moran and Jane  Mickatavage as a triumvirate of volunteers who share a deep commitment to strengthening  community through service.

Each received an award from the Y during the dinner, an annual event that welcomes new members to the Y’s Board of Directors and celebrates the organization’s successes: it is one of the top-ten ranked Ys in America when it comes to member satisfaction –from the prior year.

Moran and Murphy received the Gold Spirit Award, the highest level of recognition for volunteer service to the Y. The awardees are selected by past recipients. It goes to those who have demonstrated an extraordinary generosity of spirit and tireless commitment to the Y.

Mickatavage received the Y’s Community Service Award in recogntion of her outstanding citizenship and her efforts to make a positive difference in our community through a wide range of philanthropic activities.

Here’s a closer look at the Y “Vols” Big Three.

Michael Moran joined the Y in June, 2000 and has made significant contributions during that decade-plus, from coaching CYO Basketball and Rye Youth Soccer to serving as a Rye Little League manager. He has also stepped up to the plate for the Y as treasurer from 2003-2006. While on the Finance Committee, he helped form the Y’s first Investment Committee. He also served on the Facilities Committee.

Moran has also contributed his time and expertise to United Hospital where he served on its Executive, Finance, and Nominating Committees, chaired the Strategic Planning Committee and was bullish while working on the Investment Subcommittee.

Lisa Murphy has chaired the Strong Kids Campaign for multiple years; been a Y Board member from 2004-2010; and served as a VP of the Executive Board. She has also served on both the Barefoot Bash and Facilities committees, volunteers –with her husband, Paul—at  and Rye's Church of the Resurrection functions, and is often seen as an unofficial ambassador for the Y, introducing community newcomers to the Ys more than 100 programs and services in the building at 21 Locust Ave.

Jane Mickatavage’s decades of service to the Rye community include being president of the Twig organization, serving on the Rye Youth Council and Samaritan Counseling Center, and being co-ordinator for Rye High School’s Community Service Program. She currently chairs the Rye Non-Profit Council, providing counsel and expertise to the many dozen non-profits in the Rye community.  Her latest venture took shape on Tuesday when (along with Nancy Steed) she helped launch Together on a Tuesday at Ten, a casual discussion group that started this week and in the future will talk about anything and everything on the third Tuesday of each month from ten to 111:30 a.m. at Rye Presbyterian Church, 882 Boston Post. Rd.

In announcing this year’s awardees, Gregg Howells, executive director of the Y, said: “Jane, Lisa and Mike each share a passion to give back to the Y and to the community. They are creative, extraordinarily hard working,  generous in time and spirit. We are all grateful for the positive impact they have had on the lives of so many children, individuals and families in our community.”

AT tips its hat to the Y awardees and hopes the Resurrection flower power committee will get off the ground with more "vols" as well.

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