2008 CCGB Great
Friend Awardees
THE
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES’
2008
LIFE
MEMBER AWARD
Robert
C. Lindquist
Bob served on The
Council’s Board of Directors for 15
years from 1989 – 2003, first as
Vice President of Development and
later as Vice President for Planned
Giving.
In this he continued a strong
family tradition of community service.
Bob’s father, A.George
Lindquist, faithfully served as
Council treasurer for over twenty
years, beginning in 1950.
Bob is passionate
about fighting poverty, both locally
and globally.
His work with Habitat for
Humanity, with which he has been
involved for over 20 years, has been a
profoundly effective vehicle for
carrying out this personal mission.
Bob lent his talents to The
Council not only because of his
father’s involvement, but because he
noted that no other area organization
was doing the work of assisting
ex-offenders reintegrate into the
community – and he was impressed
with the role The Council played in
acting as a bridge between area
congregations to raise awareness of
pressing community needs and mobilize
action plans.
Bob finds great pleasure and
privilege in working with young people
and never ceases to be amazed by their
boundless energy.
He is actively involved in
parish life at
Covenant
Church
, currently in charge of Building and
Grounds.
He has led the youth group on
several mission trips, including seven
trips to
Louisiana
to offer relief to victims of Katrina.
Bob and his beloved wife, Anne,
settled in Easton, and reared their
four children, Ellen, Carl, Cindy and
Kirsten – each are grown up and
thriving – Ellen in Holland, Carl in
New Hampshire, Cindy in Vermont, and
Kirsten wherever her work as an
ornithologist carries her!
Anne, also active in community
service and in Covenant’s life, went
home to the Lord in 2006 following a
valiant fight against cancer.
THE
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES’
2008
LURLINE W. REID AWARD
Kathleen
Gorelick
 The
Lurline W. Reid Award was created to
recognize individuals who demonstrate
commitment and substantial personal
involvement in giving individuals with
criminal records a chance to get their
lives in order and to succeed.
Kathleen’s dedicated computer
technology instruction has provided
countless CO-OP clients with the tools
they needed to become gainfully
employed.
In 2001, Kathleen, having retired
from 34 years of teaching in both
Norwalk and Greenwich, decided to lend
her many talents to “growing” CO-OP’s
Technology Learning Center (TLC,) a
program begun in 1997 by Terry Medlin.
What started out in a tiny room
with only four computers expanded to
include not only introductory,
intermediary and advanced courses in
various software programs such as Word,
Powerpoint and Excel, but also Resume
Writing and GED training.
Kathleen’s education includes
Stonehill
College
, two Masters degrees from
Fairfield
University
, and a Doctor of Education Degree from
Fordham
University
.
Her
career as an educator has provided
plenty of rich and rewarding
experiences.
During the 34 years she spent
teaching in public schools, she worked
with a wide variety of students with
special needs, and in the mid 1980’s,
pioneered the use of computer assisted
technology – incorporating
unique programs and devices for
teaching students with special needs
became her passion.
Kathleen
lives in Orange with husband, Dennis,
who is blessed to be surrounded with
lots of powerful female energy radiating
from daughters Maura and Sheila, twin
granddaughters, Shannon and Caitlin –
and step-daughters Elizabeth and
Margaret.
We give great thanks for the TLC
that Kathleen brings to CO-OP’s TLC!
THE
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES’
2008
COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARD
Larri
W. Mazon
Larri Mazon
was elected to the Board of Directors of
The Council of Churches of Greater
Bridgeport in 2000, and has served as
Co-Chair of The Council’s Bridge
Building Ministry for eight years.
In this special work of building
bridges of understanding across cultural
divides, Larri brings profound personal
and professional perspective.
Mr. Mazon has been with
Fairfield
University
for 25 years and currently serves as the
Director of Institutional Diversity
Initiatives and Chair of the
President’s Diversity Council.
Mr. Mazon participated in the
design and implementation of several
programs within the Bridge Building
Ministry.
In 1995 he was one of the
founders of the Study Circles Project,
and has facilitated numerous study
circles and dialogue groups.
As a trainer he has personally
trained dozens of facilitators.
A member of Kappa Alpha Psi
Fraternity, Inc., Mr. Mazon is a
consultant who conducts workshops on
Diversity and Multiculturalism at public
and private schools, colleges and
universities, community organizations
and corporations.
For Larri’s
leadership in cultivating respect and
tolerance for religious, cultural,
ethnic, and economic differences and
fostering understanding and
collaborations for the betterment of our
Greater Bridgeport community, we give
great thanks!
THE
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES’
2008
COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARD
Dr.
Margaret A. Palliser, O.P., S.T.D.
Dr. Margaret A. Palliser has
served on The Council’s Board of
Directors as
CO-Chair of the
Bridge Building Ministry since 1999, and
was involved in that advisory committee
for two years prior to joining the
Board.
A key orchestrator for
Bridge
Building
activities, she is always ready to take
on any task, whether it be to manage
logistics, coordinate arrangements with
a guest speaker, supervise catering
details, rearrange a room full of chairs
at the last minute, create a flier or
PowerPoint presentation, or serve
as a group facilitator .
Since 2005, her sensitive and
practical leadership skills have been
especially appreciated by the steering
committee for the Tent of Abraham
programs, co-sponsored by The Council
with the American Institute for Islamic
& Arabic Studies, The Jewish Center
for Community Services, and
Sacred
Heart
University
.
Sr. Margaret earned a doctorate in
Sacred Theology from the
Pontifical
Gregorian
University
in
Rome
as well as a master’s degree in Music
from
Boston
University
. Arriving
in
Connecticut
in 1993, she ministered at
Sacred
Heart
University
for 15 years in various capacities,
including Director of Campus Ministry,
Assistant Vice President for
Mission
, Director of the Center for Mission
Education and Reflection, and Director
of the Center for Spirituality and
Ministry.
Margaret notes “I am very
passionate about bringing people
together for meaningful discussions that
lead to better understanding.
Once we have come to know the
“other” through personal experience,
we are so much more ready to work for
changes that respect each person’s
dignity and worth as a son or daughter
of God.
It is through the personal
encounter with the “other” that
hearts are changed!”
THE
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES’
2008
FOUNDERS AWARD
Bonnie
S. McWain
 Bonnie
is a firm believer in long term
commitments and dedicated work!
Among her involvements in over 25
years with The Council of Churches are
service on the Finance Committee,
Personnel Committee, Bridge Building
Ministry, Congregations Relations
Committee, Nominating Committee, Planned
Giving Committee and the Development
Committee.
She served a two-year term as
Vice-President of the Board; and a
two-year term as President.
While President she also served
on the executive search committee for
our current CEO.
Now she is resting as Immediate
Past President, which keeps her on the
Executive Committee - working.
She volunteered to
be on this year’s annual spring
fund-raising event committee,
“Flashback with Eight Track” because
after several years of chairing the
“Great Friends” annual spring dinner
she just couldn’t imagine spring
without a Council fund-raiser on her
calendar.
Born in
Bethlehem
,
Pennsylvania
, Bonnie grew up in
Fairfield
and has been an active life-long member
of
Salem
Lutheran
Church
, including service on many church
committees, the Church Council, and as
President of the Church Council.
Professionally, she has worked
for the Fairfield Public Schools for 37
years and is currently their Director of
Finance.
Bonnie’s sunny
disposition makes serving with her a
joy.
She sees what needs to be done
and does it and gets others to do it and
everyone has fun in the process.
Bonnie lives in
Trumbull
and
Vermont
(whenever possible) with her husband,
Jim.
THE
COUNCIL OF CHURCHES’
2008
FAITH & COMMUNITY AWARD
Greenfield
Hill Congregational Church
 As
a church with a rich history dating to
1725, Greenfield Hill Congregational
Church seeks to live out Christ’s
mandate to “do unto the least of these
my brothers and sisters” as Jesus
stated in Matthew 25.
Whether it is 120 teens and adults
building houses through the Appalachia
Service Project, a crew of cooks taking
evening meals to the “Operation
Hope” shelter, supporting schools in
India or engaging the ministries of The
Council of Churches, Greenfield Hill
lives out the preamble to its own
covenant: “We covenant with the Lord
and one with another, and doe bynd
ourselves in the presence of God, to
walke together in all His waies,
according as He is pleased to reveale
Himself unto us in His blessed word of
truth.”
Their “walke together in all His
waies” has taken them many places,
including building homes for Habitat for
Humanity; working at
St. George’s
Episcopal Church’s soup kitchen; and
volunteering through the School
Volunteer Association of Greater
Bridgeport.
Of particular note is their
strong support of Council ministries,
notably Project Learn, our after-school
homework help tutorial program; the
Janus
Center
for Youth in Crisis; and the
CO-OP
Center
.
For many decades, Greenfield Hill
Congregational Church has demonstrated
outstanding leadership in serving our
Greater Bridgeport community, and
beyond.
It is The Council’s pleasure to
present parishioners of Greenfield Hill
and its pastors, the Rev. Dr.
David Rowe
and the Rev. Dr.
Alida Ward
, with a fountain, that it may serve as
an ever present reminder of Jesus, who
said, “The one who comes to me will
never be thirsty.”
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