2009 Courage Award Presented at Jumpstart
2009
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The United Way Community Campaign
presented its 2009 Courage Award to
William J. Frye at Jumpstart 2009.
Shown left to right: June O’Leary,
Vocational Services Program coordinator at
CMHA, Inc., who nominated Frye for the
award; William J. Frye; and Karen
Prendergast of the Greater Hartford Central
Labor Council, one of the volunteer judges
who selected this year’s honoree.
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The United Way Community Campaign presented its
2009 Courage Award to William J. Frye of
New Britain during Jumpstart 2009, a
training event for volunteer campaign coordinators
held Wednesday, June 24, at Saint Joseph College in
West Hartford.
Frye was nominated by the Vocational Services
Program at Community Mental Health Affiliates, Inc.
(CMHA) of New Britain, a United Way partner agency.
He was selected to receive the award by a group of
volunteer judges based on his character, strength,
bravery, perseverance, confidence and self-respect
in overcoming his circumstances.
Frye has overcome many obstacles to find and
maintain employment and further his education. As a
young man, he was robbed in his apartment at
gunpoint and all of his savings were stolen. When
his car broke down, he could not afford to repair
it, and with no transportation, he lost his job.
Later, Frye became homeless after his apartment
complex caught fire. All of his personal belongings
were destroyed in the fire.
While living in a homeless shelter, Frye
approached CMHA to help him secure employment and
further his education so that he can rebuild his
life without relying on public assistance. With
CMHA’s help, he enrolled in four adult educational
classes and began seeking employment. Today, he is a
valued employee at Petsmart in Plainville. On
Sundays, when no buses run, Frye walks 3½ miles each
way to work or takes a taxi, which consumes his
entire daily pay. He also walks to his adult
education classes, where he received three A’s and
one B last semester. He is saving money for an
apartment of his own.
"Bill has taken the lemons life has handed him
and made lemonade," said June O'Leary, CMHA's
vocational services program coordinator. "He just
keeps getting up again and again, enduring
disappointments and setbacks with a good attitude
and a fierce determination to be the best he can
be...Bill epitomizes courage."
The Courage Award was established in
1994 to recognize an individual who has triumphed
over adversity through the assistance of a program
supported by Community Investment dollars
raised through the United Way Community Campaign.
Campaign gifts designated to Community
Investment are used to support carefully
monitored local programs and services that help to
ensure success for children, health and financial
stability for families, and a safety net of services
for all who are in need across the 40 towns of
central and northeastern Connecticut.
As the nominating program of this year’s
Courage Award recipient, the Vocational
Services Program at CMHA received a $500
contribution from the United Way Community Campaign
at the award luncheon. More than 200 representatives
from local businesses and organizations attended the
luncheon and the daylong Jumpstart
training, which also included workshops and visits
to United Way partner agencies to learn about
community conditions.