CVEF Celebrates Community, Names 2024 Howard Kelley Award Recipient

October 24 was an evening of celebration as around 40 people gathered at Indian Springs Golf Course in Middlefield for the Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation’s (CVEF’s) recognition of its 2024 grantees and annual awarding of the Howard Kelley Community Service Award.

Now in its 16th year of grant-giving – 164 grants, totaling over $211,000 – CVEF President Nancy Earls, along with members of the Grants Committee, gave a brief summary of each of this year’s 14 grants. Those grantees in attendance were personally recognized.

The grants, all supporting CVEF’s mission of lifelong learning, include five involving RSD 13 schools, both towns’ libraries, Independent Day School, DMYFS, Cub Scout Pack 33 and one private citizen who coordinated a Birding Festival this past summer.

Earls, along with (CVEF founder) Merrill Adams, also thanked retiring Grants Committee co-chairs Tina Gossner and Anne Doyle, for the years they have led the grants program.

Next was the announcement of this year’s Howard Kelley Community Service Awardee. Recalling the true volunteer legacy of Howard Kelley, RSD’s first superintendent of schools and a CVEF founder, his widow, Renee, and long-time Durham resident Ona McLaughlin, introduced Durham Fair president Kim Terrill as the 14th HK recipient. Both noted Kim’s years of service to the community, whether through her efforts supporting local organizations with her baking business and talents or, most recently, as only the second female Durham Fair president.

For her part, Terrill noted “we are a community of volunteers.” Talking about her role as the Fair president, she stressed, “I am just one…of the 1,800 Fair volunteers.” Calling it the “jewel of the community,” Terrill said that keeping the Fair running and relevant is important for everyone.
Also attending the reception were several former HK recipients, including Robin Heath, Lorrie Martin, Jen Huddleston and the very first recipient, Christine Willett.

For more CVEF information or volunteer opportunities, visit www.coginchaugvef.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

The Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation was founded in March 2008 as an independent education foundation. The mission of CVEF is to promote excellence, innovation and creativity through education for the community and to encourage lifelong learning in Durham and Middlefield by awarding grants and supporting programs.

*Press release provided by Betsy White Booz/CVEF Communications Committee. Photographs provided by Kristina Poznan/CVEF Communications Committee.