ProfNet of Waterbury Awarded Two $500 Scholarships to Two Area Graduates

PROFNET INC. PRESENTS TWO $500 SCHOLARSHIPS TO GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

ProfNet of Waterbury, Inc., the Professional Networking Group of Waterbury, recently presented two $500 “Partners for Success Scholarships” to graduating high school students, Ms. Xheklin Nano of Waterbury (2nd from left), and Ms. Andrea Pannoni (3rd from right) of Oakville. The scholarships were presented by scholarship committee co-chairs Bruce Brayton (far right), owner of Brayton Associates, Inc. in Southington and Rob Kane (far left), owner of KarTele in Waterbury, and ProfNet President Norbert Przybyl, owner of Four Season Services, LLC in Wolcott. The scholarships are presented annually in memory of esteemed founding ProfNet members Larry Vitkovsky and Vinnie Banda. In 2016, ProfNet of Waterbury, Inc. is celebrating 22 years of continuous success.

Committee members Rob Kane and Bruce Brayton explain that the annual $500 scholarship awards, “Are given in memory of two outstanding members of ProfNet. Larry Vitkovsky owned a telephone company in 1996 when he encouraged me as a cellular phone specialist to join the group. Sadly, Larry died of cancer at the very young age of 38 with three children who are now in their 20s. When he passed, our organization very much wanted to honor his many contributions to our community so we created an essay competition asking what a higher education would mean to a graduating high school senior. Larry Vitkovsky was a great man and we are proud to present these scholarships in his memory.”

The team stated the scholarship awards also honors Vinnie Banda, host of a popular Saturday morning show on WATR, and a highly-revered ProfNet member. Kane commented, “Vinnie was loud, booming, gregarious guy who could light up any room. He was a great guy who also died too young. Each year we host this scholarship competition in memory of both men, and we receive many entries. It is our hope that you will take all that you each of you has to offer of yourselves and give it to the greater good of your individual communities.”

ProfNet’s annual scholarship program is open to any graduating high school senior who will continue their education in an accredited course of higher education. Qualifications for the scholarships are not constrained by where applying students live and each application was accompanied by a minimum 500 word essay on “What higher education will do for my future.”

During a recent ProfNet meeting, the two 2016 scholarship recipients read their essays to members of the organization in attendance. Scholarship winner Ms. Xheklin Nano, a 2016 John F. Kennedy High School graduate, will attend Pace University in Manhattan, NY. Ms. Andrea Pannoni is a Watertown High School graduate and will attend Marywood University in Scranton, PA with ambitions to become a special education teacher.

The purpose of ProfNet of Waterbury, Inc. is to exchange qualified business (QBL) referrals with fellow members. The organization was formed in 1995 to present business people and business owners with an opportunity to join a quality organization in their area that would focus its attention on increasing their income, the client and customer base, and their personal contacts to achieve those goals. Members of ProfNet are committed to maintaining ethics and standards of the highest order in all business relationships.

The 45 current ProfNet members meet weekly at 7:00 a.m. every Thursdays at the Waterbury Regional Chamber offices at 83 Bank Street, fourth floor. To learn more, visit www.ProfnetWaterbury.com or contact ProfNet Membership Officer Rick Synnott at Synnott Travel at 203-575-1010 or rick@synnotttravel.com.