Chatham Resident Honored at Project Community Pride Ceremony

The award recipients at Project Community Pride's 27th Annual Recognition Breakfast aren't like your typical town residents.

Many people don't donate their time at all. Some do, but feel as though they are owed something for their charity work.

In the case of these award winners, many said they love working for the betterment of the community so much, they almost feel selfish while doing their charity work. That's dedication to helping children that most individuals don't have.

At a ceremony held at Fairmount Country Club in Chatham, Project Community Pride and its members honored four individuals from the three towns it serves–Madison, Chatham Borough and Florham Park.

The George W. Burroughs Award, which goes to one person from each of the three participating communities, honors those who have shown a great interest in the youths of the community. Those honorees were: for Madison, Janet Allocco; for Chatham Borough, Dawn Ferguson; and for Florham Park, Scott Carpenter.

Also given was the Harold P. Higgs Award, which is presented to an individual who has volunteered his or her time to a non-profit group or groups and has made a difference within those communities. This year's recipient was Madison's Katherine Siso.

All four recipients have impressively given to their communities. Allocco is the director of the Madison Community House, Ferguson is coordinator of the Municipal Alliance of the Chathams, Carpenter is the deputy fire chief of the Florham Park Fire Department and also works with the Florham Park Baseball Club, and Katherine Siso works as a guidance counselor at Madison Junior School, where her work with students goes beyond her job description.

Project Community Pride is a community-based agency staffed by licensed therapists offering clinical services to families in each of the communities it serves. The program serves an average of 50 families per month through individuals and family therapy, and another 50 through groups. The program receives referrals from the three towns' police departments and school districts.

Project Community Pride's mission is "to provide individual, group and family counseling for adolescents who are experiencing  times of difficulty and ultimately assisting them in becoming successful young people  in school and community."

A full photo gallery and video package from the event are attached to this article.