Nominations open for the Elissa M. Garofalo Community Impact Award

The Carbon County Community Foundation is accepting nominations for the inaugural Elissa M. Garofalo Community Impact Award.

Established by friends and family of Elissa Garofalo, the award will be presented in her memory to someone who demonstrates leadership, vision and community impact in Carbon County.

During her 21-year tenure with the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, with nine years as the executive director, she had an enormous impact across the entire heritage area, in individual towns and on the people she worked with.

Her passion and love for the area helped bring many heritage tourism and recreation projects to fruition, including:

• 132 miles of the trail were completed.

• The “Get Your Tail on the Trail” wellness initiative was launched in partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network.

• The “Tales of the Towpath” educational curriculum was expanded to 80-plus elementary schools, and 6,500 students participated in related field trips.

• Her continued efforts resulted with a section of the trail being dedicated and appropriately named “Elissa’s Mile” in Jim Thorpe.

Prior to her time with the D & L, she co-owned Blue Mountain Sports in Jim Thorpe and was one of America’s first Main Street program managers. She pioneered efforts that led to Jim Thorpe‘s main street (Broadway) being named one of the Great Places of America by the American Planning Association.

Award criteria

The criteria for the Elissa M. Garofalo Community Impact Award recipient are someone who: demonstrates community leadership and impact; has a vision for long-lasting impact in the community; and has a passion for mentoring others.

This year’s Community Impact Award honoree will receive a stipend of $500, which should be used for professional development to help further the recipient’s career and education. The award is not intended to be a lifetime achievement award, but rather it will recognize someone who is considered in the prime of her or his career, someone who still has work to do.

Nominations will be accepted until Sept. 15 via the Community Foundation website. Candidates can self-nominate, or community members can submit a nomination on behalf of a peer. A committee of Elissa Garofalo’s friends and family will review the nominations and select an honoree.

The Elissa M. Garofalo Community Impact Award will be presented at the Foundation’s 20/20 Circle Annual Meeting & Grants Dinner on Oct. 9 at Blue Mountain Resort. Elissa was an early member of the 20/20 Circle.

The Community Foundation hopes to present the award every year in her memory. Wild Elder Wine & Cider in Jim Thorpe is sponsoring the inaugural award and stipend. Businesses and community members can support future awards with a donation to the Elissa M. Garofalo Community Impact Award Fund at the Carbon County Community Foundation.

For more information, contact the Carbon County Community Foundation at 610-730-2526 or info@cccfoundpa.org.

The Carbon County Community Foundation was formed in 2015 with the mission to improve the quality of life for all Carbon County residents, now and forever.

The foundation offers individuals, families and businesses the most effective charitable giving tools available in the marketplace today, combining that with expertise in philanthropic planning, nonprofit sector issues and community priorities.

Since 2016, the charitable funds at the foundation have cumulatively awarded more than $1 million in grants and scholarships to nonprofit and community organizations, teachers, schools and students in Carbon County.

The foundation works with hundreds of donors, nonprofits, advisers and civic leaders to build resources and strengthen the community.