Archive: Around Town

Tompkins Trust Company honored two local non-profit organizations, three couples and five individuals with “Awards for Excellence” on May 17, for their outstanding volunteer service to the community.  Three Lansing residents, Susan Rosenkoetter and Dennis and Louise Osika were among the honorees.

A total of $12,000 was donated to local charitable organizations from the bank’s endowment fund through the Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County. The honorees each designated their $1,200 award to not-for-profit organizations of their choice.

This year’s honorees are Community Building Works and Friends in Service Helping (FISH), the husband-and-wife teams of Beth Cutter and Donald Hickman, Dennis and Louise Osika, and Steve and Lisa Stelick, and individual achievers Todd Edmonds of Ithaca, Angela Loh and Susan Rosenkoetter of Lansing, and Dorothy Manheim and Ann Pavia of Trumansburg.

Tompkins Trust Company President/CEO Gregory J. Hartz, who is the current  president of the Legacy Foundation, presented the awards at a reception at the bank’s main office.

“The time and talent that all these groups and individuals unselfishly invest in their respective communities is invaluable,” said Hartz.  “The Trust Company and the Legacy Foundation are honored to have this opportunity to officially thank them for making Tompkins County a special place to live and work.”

The Awards for Excellence program was established during the bank's Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1986 as a means of sharing its success with community members who have helped to enrich the quality of life in Tompkins County.

The endowment is administered by the Legacy Foundation, a not-for-profit trust formerly known as the Tompkins County Foundation.  The vision of the Legacy Foundation, which began in 1945, is a commitment to “to improving the quality of life in Tompkins County for those who come after us."

Nominations for the Awards for Excellence for individuals or volunteer groups that serve a non-profit organization may be sent to Sue Lason at Tompkins Trust Company at Box 460, Ithaca, NY 14851.  Since 1986, the Awards for Excellence program has recognized more than 205 individuals or groups with awards totaling more than $284,000.


Rosenkoetter was honored for her generous, sincere, and humble efforts to increase the appreciation of English literature among the Lansing community, students, and faculty.  She volunteers at the Lansing Library, hosts visiting authors, sponsors faculty members’ attendance at national English and Literature conferences and workshops, and gives timely “book-talks” to students of all ages at Lansing Schools.  She asked that her monetary award be given to the Lansing Central School – Dorothy Rosenkoetter Memorial Literature Project.


Dennis and Louise Osika were honored for their efforts on behalf of the Catholic community’s Peace and Justice committee, the Holiday Red Cross Blood Drive at Cornell, the Salvation Army’s bell-ringing campaign; Cops, Kids & Toys; Habitat for Humanity, and Adopt a Highway.  They asked the Foundation to divide their monetary award between Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins & Cortland Counties and Catholic Charities of Tompkins & Tioga Counties.


A capsule look at this year’s recipients:

• Community Building Works, for working with local non-profits, businesses and community members to provide opportunities for volunteers to create new ‘green’ homes for low and moderate-income first-time homebuyers.
• FISH, for organizing volunteers to use their own vehicles to provide free transportation to Tompkins County residents in need to medical and dental appointments.
• Donald Hickman and Beth Cutter, for their volunteer efforts on behalf of Gadabout, Catholic Charities, the United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, and the Breast Cancer Alliance
• Dennis and Louise Osika, for their efforts on behalf of the Catholic Community’s Peace and Justice committee, the Holiday Red Cross Blood Drive at Cornell, the Salvation Army’s bell-ringing campaign, Cops, Kids & Toys, Habitat for Humanity, and Adopt a Highway.
• Steve and Lisa Stelick, for their tireless efforts in support of Dryden Athletics, Kiwanis, and starting Dryden’s music-in-the-park.
• Todd Edmonds, for donating tens of thousands of dollars worth of free design work to local non-profits.
• Angela Loh, for her work on behalf of the Tompkins-Cortland Habitat for Humanity.
• Dorothy Manheim, for managing the Trumansburg Food Pantry for 23 years and for helping the underprivileged.
• Ann Pavia, for organizing the Trumansburg Craft Fair and volunteering at Trumansburg Elementary School following her retirement as a teacher.
• Susan Rosenkoetter, for the time and money she has donated to enriching the English learning for students in Lansing.

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