Since its inception, the Gazette has reserved the front page of the first issue of the year to recognize citizens who exemplify altruism through sharing their time, expertise, and neighborliness to the benefit of the town. Our first recipient, Jeanne Kavanaugh, set an extraordinary standard, recognized for: serving on the Board of Education for Hampton Elementary School where she initiated a volunteer program, organized enrichment activities, and donated equipment; for her participation in the Hampton Community Players; as Vice-President of the Hampton Co-op; and for contributions to the Gazette, including our version of “the Man on the Street”, titled “the Person in the Store”, which featured residents’ answers to questions posed on local topics.
Through the years, individuals, families, and organizations have stepped up to meet the touchstone set in 1979. Areas of volunteerism include: work with our seniors through their organization, Dial-a-Ride, Meals on Wheels, Friends and Neighbors, and as Agents for the Elderly; and work with youth through volunteering at schools, Scouting, 4-H, Little League, and providing music lessons and an annual Bicycle Safety Program. Citizens have been recognized for serving as Selectmen, on the Finance Board and on local and regional school boards, on the Conservation, Planning and Zoning, and Recreation Commissions, on the Beautification and Town Committees, as Constables, Fire Marshals, and Moderators. Service to area organizations have also been noted, organizing fund drives for the American Cancer Society, volunteering at local hospitals and convalescent homes, and with the Special Olympics, the Regional Arts Council, Literacy Volunteers of America, the Quinnebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor, and Joshua’s Trust.
Many first respondents, including the organizations themselves, have been recognized for their volunteer efforts in providing emergency services – the Fire Department and their members, the Ambulance Corp and their emergency medical technicians, and the Coordinator for the Emergency Management Department. Other local organizations represented include the Historical Society, the American Legion, the Little River Grange, Fletcher Memorial Library, and the Friends of Trail Wood and of Goodwin Forest. Recipients have been deacons and trustees and organists of the Congregational Church, members of the Ladies Aid Society and contributors to the Holiday Bizarre. Citizens have been recognized for organizing the Memorial Day parade, participating in the ceremony and delivering the address, for raising funds for local causes with grinder sales and chicken barbecues, and for performing with the Hampton Community Players and in the annual Christmas plays.
Recipients have been recognized for lifetime achievement, people who have given of themselves throughout their years here, while others have been acknowledged for the accomplishment of the particular year, feats of singular magnitude such as organizing Hampton’s 200th Birthday Celebration, the Recycling Program when the Transfer Station opened, or spearheading important projects, such as the Town Garage and the Community Center. Lastly, residents have received recognition for capturing Hampton through the art they created, books they authored, and for being good neighbors: driving the elderly, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, volunteering time and tools in the aftermath of storms, bringing chicken soup in times of illness, sending cards for special occasions, and condolences in times of loss.
Twice the town itself has been named “Citizen of the Year”: once in 2012 as “the Unsung Heroes and Survivors of 2011” who responded during the hurricane, the Halloween Snow, and the blizzards of winter that threatened roads and roofs in a “Year in Crisis and Citizen Response”; and “the Town of Hampton” in 1989 in recognition of the multitude of residents who share their equipment and their expertise, their time and their homes to ensure that our town is one where we feel safe, and where we feel welcome. All of the people listed through the years, as well as the “unsung heroes”, illustrate the importance of volunteerism in a small town – it’s what keeps it thriving. We salute you all.