Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, Inc. (MVCAA) is excited to announce the 2024 Community Champions Luncheon will be held on May 2^nd, Thursday, at noon at Hart’s Hill Inn, Whitesboro. This year’s award winners are an outstanding group of movers and shakers in the Mohawk Valley!

The 2024 Treva Wood Community Activist Award is being presented to Freddie Hamilton. Ms. Hamilton has over thirty years of experience as a not-for-profit generalist, and twelve years of experience as a DEI consultant. Ms. Hamilton was the founder and executive director of the Child Development Support Corporation in Brooklyn, New York, and currently she is the president of the Utica/Oneida County NAACP, executive director of Rebuilding the Village, Inc., and the Cultural Competency/Racial Equity Leader for the Mohawk Valley Continuum of Care (CoC).

The other 2024 Community Champions are:

• Louis LaBella, Sr., Community Visionary
• Alane Varga, Community Ambassador
• Joseph & Inez Carbone, Community Builder
• Teresa Billini Roa, Community Achiever

MVCAA is an anti-poverty organization that has been helping people in Oneida & Herkimer Counties for 58 years. MVCAA’s unique mission is to increase awareness of the causes and conditions of poverty, forge a future of hope and equity, and strengthen families and communities. Through community advisories and coalitions, programming that includes its nationally recognized Head Start Program of excellence, housing assistance and youth programs, MVCAA is working to make our community an equitable place to live for all families. However, it recognizes that it also needs the help of individuals, businesses, and public representatives to accomplish its goal. The 2024 Community Champions represent 5 of those valued partners. MVCAA hopes you can join them in recognizing these outstanding winners! Tickets and sponsorship information are available on the Agency’s website: www.mvcaa.com or by calling 315-624-9930.

About Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency

Mohawk Valley Community Action is the frontline resource for people living in poverty in Oneida and Herkimer Counties, providing direct services and support for education, employment, and family support services. We also offer our Head Start programming in Madison County. For anyone living in the Mohawk Valley, whether they were raised in poverty, or they suddenly find themselves there due to unemployment, disability or a change in household, Mohawk Valley Community Action should be considered their FIRST STEP when seeking assistance. By helping people in poverty follow a clear path to improvement, Mohawk Valley Community Action provides hope for a better tomorrow for those in our community who need it the most.

For over 55 years, Mohawk Valley Community Action has served as the hub connecting local people living in poverty with Early Head Start, Head Start, and Universal Pre-K, utility assistance, tax preparation; Housing Assistance, Senior Services, Weatherization, Foster Grandparents and Youth Services. Moreover, MVCAA helps community members living in poverty see a clear path to bettering their situation. Once this vision has been realized, a new sense of hope is naturally instilled. The feeling of hope starts small but grows as the client realizes that they truly have a partner in the community to help them navigate all the services available to them.

Learn more at www.mvcaa.com

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