Heywood Healthcare Honors Area Advocates at Annual Celebration

GARDNER, Mass. - Feb. 3, 2016 - PRLog -- Gardner, MA – Heywood Healthcare celebrated community, health and collaboration at “A Winter Affair” on Friday, January 29th at The Colonial Hotel in Gardner. The annual event offered attendees and honored guests a chance to look back at the accomplishments of Athol and Heywood Hospitals, as well as a sneak peak of what’s ahead for the region’s community-owned healthcare system.

At the event, Heywood Healthcare honored Tina Sbrega, President and CEO of GFA Federal Credit Union with the Heywood Healthcare Community Health Hero Award, which recognizes an individual or individuals who significantly impact the health and well-being of the North Central and North Quabbin Communities. Denise L. Clemons

Superintendent, Gardner Public Schools and Anthony Polito, Superintendent, Athol-Royalston Regional School District received the Heywood Healthcare Collaborator’s Award in recognition of the districts’ collaboration with Heywood Healthcare to improve access to behavioral health services as well as the Weekend Backpack Food Program.

As President & CEO of GFA, Ms. Sbrega leads her full-service community credit union with assets of $454 million, nine branch locations and 96 employees, while shining a light on the socio-economic needs of the region.

In 2013, Ms. Sbrega, along with other community leaders, created the Women’s Circle of Giving. The group is an informal network of women who care about the community and are eager to take an active role in making change. The Women’s Giving Circle meets quarterly at evening networking meetings where the needs of the community are discussed. Collectively, the group determines where the most critical needs are and how to invest resources in hopes of creating the greatest impact community-wide.

To date, the group has raised and dispersed more than $40,000 to area agencies and organizations. Ms. Sbrega currently serves as the Chair of the Trustees for Mount Wachusett Community College, Chair of the Mass Community College Trustee Association (MCCTA), Director of the Massachusetts Share Insurance Corporation (MSIC) and COCC, the credit union’s technology partner. She currently serves as a Trustee of Heywood Healthcare’s Board of Trustees and Chair of Heywood’s Strategic Planning Committee. Ms. Sbrega has also volunteered to serve as Co-Chair of Heywood’s Capital Campaign for the Quabbin Retreat.

She is a past Chair of Heywood Hospital’s Board of Trustees, Director and Chair of the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, Director of Oak Hill Country Club and HOPE. She also held leadership roles with the United Way of North Central Mass and is a former Director for the Massachusetts Credit Union League.

When Denise L. Clemons accepted the role of Superintendent of Gardner Public Schools, she brought with her not only decades of experience, but also, a passion for creating a healthy and supportive environment, in and out of the classroom walls. Ms. Clemons enjoys working with youth and considers them to be “her” children. She is always willing to lend a hand to uplift and motivate them towards being the best they can be. She loves spending her free time reading and speaking to the students. On a daily basis, she instills students with the ideology that they must never give up on their dreams and that they should always respect themselves.

Prior to this position, she was the Interim Assistant Superintendent for Groton Public Schools in Groton, CT, the Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, the Executive Director for Elementary Education, Principal of Wilbur Cross School and the Associate Principal at Paul Lawrence Dunbar School for Bridgeport Public Schools in Bridgeport, CT. During her education tenure, she has been an English teacher for grades seven through twelve and has taught in Bridgeport Public Schools, New Haven Public Schools, Savannah, Georgia and the Federal Republic of Germany with the Department of Defense where she was awarded several “Excellence in Teaching Awards”. She has also received several awards for her service to the students in the city of Bridgeport and the state of Connecticut.

Anthony Polito, Superintendent of Schools for the Athol-Royalston District, holds the distinction of the longest-serving Superintendent since the 1980s. Among the achievements over his forty year career in education, Polito is credited with planning, developing and implementing State approval for a new elementary school in Athol, assisting in the creation of the district partnerships among the YMCAs, Mount Wachusett Community College and Heywood Healthcare and was one of the five authors of the MA Superintendent mentoring program.

With years of experience working to enrich the lives of his students, Polito was eager to partner to bring new behavioral health resources to his District through the hospital’s CHART initiative. He was equally interested in addressing food insecurities experienced by many of his students and became involved with Heywood Healthcare’s Backpack Program after hearing of its successful pilot year in the Gardner school system.

Polito’s legacy is his passion for improving the lives of his students. His willingness to go the extra mile to ensure the highest levels of support are provided to his students is evidenced daily by his collaborative and accommodating nature. Prior to accepting his current role in the Athol-Royalston District, Polito served as Principal of Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, Bellingham Middle-Senior High School and Westport Middle School. In 2000, he assumed the role of Assistant Superintendent for the Narragansett District and Peabody Public Schools from 2004-2005. He is a member of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, American Association of Administrators, Mass Association of School Committees, New England League of Middle Schools and National Institute of School Leadership.

Accepting on Mr. Polito’s behalf was incoming Athol-Royalston Superintendent, Steve Myers.

State Representative Susannah Whipps Lee of Athol presented a citations and congratulations from the Legislature to Ms. Sbrega, Ms. Clemons and Mr. Polito.