Waltham Democratic City Committee Announces 2025 Heroes Awards

News release from Waltham Democratic City Committee.

WALTHAM, MA — The Waltham Democratic City Committee (WDCC) proudly announces its selections for the 2024 Heroes Awards. At their recent meeting, WDCC voted to honor two individuals and two organizations with their prestigious, annual Heroes Award. Individual awards will go to Rep. Thomas Stanley and Cornelia Cassidy Koutoujian.

Organizational/institutional awards will go to Waltham Inclusive Neighborhoods (WIN) and the Marcou Charitable Foundation.

Each year, the WDCC honors heroes who distinguish themselves by serving our community, promoting democratic values and making Waltham a great city in which to live. This year’s heroes will be presented their awards at a celebration in their honor. The event is scheduled for March 30, and will be held at the American Legion Post 156. Further details on the event are forthcoming.

This year’s Heroes of Waltham:

Representative Tom Stanley has served Watham in the State Legislature for over 20 years, during which he’s earned the reputation as one of the hardest-working legislators on Beacon Hill, gaining respect from his constituents and legislative peers, and generating noteworthy legislative accomplishments. Tom has pushed a variety of progressive and common sense legislative initiatives, and has fought for fiscal resources for local Waltham projects. As Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs, he has advocated for better housing, improvements in assisted living. Tom has also served intermittently on the Waltham City Council since 1997, and ran a high-profile challenge for Waltham’s mayoral seat in 2015.

Cornelia Cassidy Koutoujian, better known affectionately as “Connie” around Waltham, is another hero who has dedicated herself to the wellbeing of our community. She is the distinguished wife of the former City Clerk Peter Koutoujian Sr, and the mother of current Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian Jr. It might be naturally expected that she’d be overshadowed by these high-caliber political forces, but that has not been the case with this sharp activist. She has been immersed in local institutions across Waltham. Including Charles River Community Health, the Waltham Partnership for Youth, among so many others. She has also advocated for the care and recognition of immigrants, being prominent in both Irish American and Armenian-American circles. And for the WDCC, Connie has been one of the staunchest activists for Democratic causes for decades.

Waltham Inclusive Neighborhoods (WIN), started in part by local activist Tom Benevides, has become a presence in its advocacy for better housing initiatives. In particular the organization has lent staunch support for the MBTA Communities Act, presenting informational sessions and materials, holding public forums on the topic and leading the charge to advance local and state policies that will benefit housing development.

To round out this year’s slate of heroes, the Marcou Charitable Foundation is being recognized for being a powerful cornerstone of so many Waltham institutions. There is hardly a donor or sponsor list in the city that doesn’t include the Marcou Charitable Foundation as a prominent donor. It is a major benefactor for important institutions, including the Waltham YMCA, Waltham Education Beyond Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club, Waltham Day Center, among others. And it provides sponsorship for a variety of local progressive endeavors such as planting trees at Chesterbrook Gardens, food drives and community blood drives.

All Four Heroes Awards exemplify the courage, compassion and empathetic intelligence our community thrives on. They will receive their awards at the aforementioned celebratory event on March 30.