Citizenship in Action Award Winners Announced

Officer Ken Duane (Chelmsford Police) , Kevin Field (Burlington Public Schools), Citizenship in Action winner, District Attorney Martha Coakley, Donna Dirvirgilio (Stoneham Boys and Girls Club), John Donahue (Tewksbury Public Schools).

Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc., in partnership with the Office of Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2005 “Citizenship in Action Award”. This award will be presented annually to an individual who lives or works in Middlesex, Massachusetts and who has made a difference by helping the youth and schools in our communities become safer and healthier.

The 2005 winner is Kevin Field, a retired member of the Burlington Public Schools. Mr. Field has been a Wilmington volunteer firefighter and EMT and role model to countless Burlington High School students. He served as a member of the Burlington Emergency Response Team, as advisor to the SADD program and was instrumental in the development of program, jointly run by the High School and the local veterans’ groups called Passing the Legacy. Passing the Legacy is a collection of video archives in which local veterans tell their stories. In addition to coordinating the program, Kevin was instrumental in encouraging students to participate.

We are also proud to profile the following Citizenship in Action Award finalists:

Robin Braunstein a free-lance writer for the Metro West News and a parent in the Wayland community who worked with Wayland Police Department to develop the Wayland Safe Homes Program. Safe Homes is a program that encourages parents take a stand against the use of drugs and alcohol by minors, in and outside of the home. Parents in the community pledge to support certain principles including to be present in their home for teenage gatherings or parties, not to serve alcohol or allow alcohol to be consumed by people under age 21 in their home, nor to allow illegal drugs to be consumed in the home and to welcome calls from parents whose children have been invited to their home. While these principles seem simple and innocuous, the program has been controversial in many communities. Ms. Braunstein and her family worked to develop community acceptance of the program that now has over 225 member families. The Wayland Police Department reports fewer unsupervised parties and a lower number of incidents of underage drinking overall.

Officer Bruce Campbell started working with the Winter Hill Community School in Somerville as a part of the Community Police Officer Program in 1995. After the program was phased out by budget cuts, Officer Campbell maintained regular contact with the school and its students, even attending events and school activities on his free time. In addition to working with the kids on curriculum issues including gun safety, stranger danger and bullying, Officer Campbell has provided support to mediate problems between parents as well as to address complicated situations at the school involving weapons, arson and drugs. His steadfast commitment to the school and its students in light of budget cuts exemplifies his understanding of the importance of prevention, education and the positive connections between schools and law enforcement.

Donna Divirgilio has worked for the Stoneham Boys and Girls Club for over 25 years. Whether in the game room, the gym or the computer lab, tutoring kids in homework and class work, Ms. Divirgilio has helped the children of Stoneham learn about respect for others, for their community and themselves. In addition, Ms. Divirgilio works with the Stoneham Community Policing Unit, coordinating events including fundraisers, open houses and fun day events. Finally, through her tireless work in fundraising for the Club, she has helped to keep the dues to the Club affordable for all the children and teens of Stoneham.

John Donoghue started as a Guidance Counselor in the Tewksbury Public Schools and, since 1996, has been the Assistant Principal at the Wynn Middle School. Mr. Donoghue has been co-chair of the District Security Team in Tewksbury since 1999, working with Tewksbury Police and Fire Departments to develop security protocols that place Tewksbury among the most prepared communities in Middlesex. Mr. Donoghue’s committee has served as a model for other communities through the District Attorney’s Office SECURE program and other efforts to support threat assessment, readiness and response. His willingness to serve in this capacity, in addition to his full-time duties as Assistant Principal has provided the community of Tewksbury with a real understanding of response to emergency and a set of plans of which they are rightly proud.

Officer Ken Duane is the juvenile police officer in Chelmsford, a challenging and vital position for which he is uniquely suited. His colleagues say that both parents in the community and the young people with whom he deals trust him and know that he is a person who will be honest, caring and knowledgeable. Officer Duane’s work with the Community Based Justice roundtable at Chelmsford High School is to offer support and guidance in addressing complicated issues surrounding kids who get in trouble with the law. In addition to his work as a juvenile officer, Officer Duane coaches baseball, helping kids to stay on the right track and to hopefully avoid working with Officer Duane in his professional capacity.

Lawrence Khirallah attended a presentation on the issues of teenage drug abuse focusing on “designer drugs”. He was surprised and concerned about how ignorant he and other parents were about these risks. He took the initiative to create the Chelmsford Coalition Against Drugs, bringing together Police Chief Ray McCusker and members of his department, representatives of the Public schools administration and the community. The coalition continues to meet monthly sponsoring programs by nationally known experts, scheduling a drug awareness week and designing distributing Live Smart wrist bands and posters throughout the community. Mr. Khirallah saw the need for community action and took that action, bringing together all the necessary organizations and people to help education the community work to prevent substance abuse.