CAROLINE ADKINS – THE BURNETT AWARD
The Burnett Award is presented to a long-standing member of LWV Greenwich whose significant contributions to the organization have positively impacted the work of the League through their time, actions, talents, and dedication.
This award was established in 2019 to recognize and honor Jara Burnett, whose decades of vision, commitment, and leadership of LWV Greenwich have been an inspiration to all.
This year, the Burnett Award is presented to Caroline Adkins, a member of LWV Greenwich for 35 years. Caroline has served as Board Secretary since 2008.
She has also served on the Membership Committee, assisted in planning many membership events, and has been the important voice of experience to the Board, which includes many newcomers. Caroline is leaving the Board this year and will be sorely missed.
From 2013-2017, Caroline was a member of the Executive Steering Committee (co-presidency). She served on and chaired the LWV Greenwich Public Health Committee, which monitored changes in the availability and delivery of public health services based on a formal study conducted by Mary
Sullivan.
Caroline has conducted workshops and presentations for the League on significant issues in several election cycles and on achievement issues for women leaders. She has been a delegate to state and national conventions.
For ten years as a Mental Health Specialist for the Connecticut League, she followed mental health legislation, wrote testimony, and recommended advocacy for the League to support.
In 2017, she was the recipient of the Mary Award.
Professionally, Caroline is a psychologist with a doctoral degree from Columbia University. She is a Professor Emerita from Hunter College and a Director of Graduate Programs in Counseling and co-author of a career counseling and employment program used throughout the country.
Locally, she has been a member of the YWCA’s Public Policy Committee, a Board Member and Secretary of Greenwich Adult and Continuing Education, and a Board member of the Round Hill Community Church. She is also a member of the Oral History Project at Greenwich Library and a member of the Greenwich Community Development Block Grant Committee.
DEB ROGAN – THE COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD
Created in 2023, The Community Impact Award is presented to an individual or group whose exemplary support of the LWV Greenwich mission has made a difference by influencing others to become informed and to participate actively in the democratic process.
The inaugural awardee of the Community Impact Award is Deb Rogan, founder of Coffee for Good. Deb worked with LWV Greenwich’s Get Out The Vote project last Fall to create a schedule for Coffee for Good to be the home for an extensive election-related postcard-writing campaign. Twelve 90-
minute sessions were scheduled at Coffee for Good between September 20 and October 15. 2022. The timing was arranged to correspond with “quieter”moments in the café’s schedule, keeping the employees in training throughout the day.
This effort produced personal snail mail communication to over 5000 unaffiliated voters in Greenwich between the ages of 25 and 55 urging them to vote in November. In addition, it attracted 200 volunteers, including many students, to write personalized messages. For recipients and volunteers
alike, Deb’s support of this LWV Greenwich initiative influenced many to participate in the democratic process.
Open to the public, Coffee for Good is a paid training platform for people with developmental disabilities. Training lasts between 6 to 18 months when trainees graduate to competitive integrated employment. The goals for Coffee for Good are to (1) employ and train as many people with disabilities as possible so they can develop the confidence and transfer newfound skills to find competitive integrated employment within our community; (2) be a self-sustaining business; and (3) be a warm and inclusive community gathering place. She notes, “Meaningful employment is vital to a person’s mental, social, financial, and emotional health.”
Deb was inspired to start Coffee for Good by her nephew Harry, who lives in a group home far away from Greenwich. She is inspired by the young adults trained at Coffee for Good, and she readily acknowledges the many volunteers who have given their time and talents to make Coffee for Good a
reality.
Deb worked in banking and consulting before leaving the workforce to raise her three sons, Jack, Pete, and Tommy. Deb and her husband, John, live in Greenwich.