The 2019 Paccadolmi Awards were given out on Sunday, December 8th during a special holiday gathering of Library supporters and friends. Congratulations to the recipients, and thanks for all they have done for the Library!

Victoria was an award-winning journalist, author and lecturer. She made many appearances on national and international radio and television includ-ing Oprah, The Today Show, CNN, BBC, National Public Radio and others. Victoria’s work also appeared in numerous periodicals including Woman’s Day, Harper’s Bazaar, Redbook, Glamour and others including The Ein-stein Quarterly Journal of Biology and Medicine. Victoria’s much-celebrated books include Losing Your Parents, Finding Your Self; When Madness Comes Home (winner of the American Society of Journalists and Authors [ASJA] June Roth Award for a Medical Book); Women and Their Fathers (recipient of the ASJA Author of the Year Award), When You and Your Mother Can’t be Friends, By Youth Possessed, and Bei Mir Bist Du Schön: The Life of Sholom Secunda. She loved gardening, passing on her extraordinary horticultural knowledge to the readers of Ridgefield Maga-zine, for whom she was a regular contributor. In addition to her husband Shel and her daughter Jennifer, her extended family included the choir at St Stephen’s Episcopal Church, with whom she formed a deep bond starting with a shared love of music. Victoria was a dedicated volunteer for the Ridgefield Library serving on the Development and Gala Committees for many years. She spent many happy hours reading at the Library where she was well-loved by everyone. 

Mike is the Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield and has guided them to be widely regarded as one of the top Boys & Girls Clubs in the country. He has been able to hire and retain one of the top Youth
Development Professional Staffs throughout the Boys & Girls Club
movement and has worked hard with the Board of Directors, as well as the Club’s leadership team, Kristin Goncalves, Jess Murphy Prodrazky and Jeff Goncalves, to put the Club in very healthy financial standing. Above all, Mike truly cares for each child that enters the Boys & Girls Club and aims to make a positive impact on each one of their lives. Over the years, Mike and the Boys & Girls Club have assisted the Ridgefield Library in events taking place all around town during our Love Your Library Weekend. Members of the Boys & Girls Club have represented the Library throughout those weekends, educating the public on the programs and services offered to the Community by the Library and their need to raise funds to support the annual operating fund each year. These volunteers tireless and professional efforts have helped the Library succeed each year. Members of the Boys and Girls Club of Ridgefield have also volunteered at the Library in other capacities.