Stratford Official Receives Prestigious Youth Services Award

STRATFORD, CT — Stratford’s Director of Community and Senior Services Tamara (Tammy) Trojanowski recently received the CT Youth Services Association’s 2022 Laura T. Brown Career Award.

Trojanowski was presented with the award at the association’s annual statewide conference on Oct. 21.

The CT Youth Services Association, or CYSA, is an “integral part of the Connecticut Youth Service Bureau that dedicates its efforts towards promoting the well-being of Connecticut’s children, youth, and their families,” according to a news release.

CYSA presents a multitude of awards at their annual state-wide conference with one of the most high-regarded being the Laura T. Brown Career Award.

The CYSA Membership Committee selects the recipient of the Laura T. Brown Career Award and in the process, there are multiple factors considered.

“The recipient of the award must have a minimum of 20 years of dedicated service with the Youth Service Bureau in addition to meeting other criteria outlined by CYSA,” the news release states. “The other criteria include the mastery of various Administrative Core Unit (ACU) functions including, but not limited to, the creation of new and innovative programs, effective collaborations among service providers, advocacy for youth on both the individual and systems level, and furthering the understanding of positive youth development and the role of YSB’s locally and throughout the state.”

Trojanowski was selected by the CYSA Membership Committee as the recipient of the award due to her “unrelenting efforts in serving the community and its youth through various practices and projects implemented at the local level in Stratford under her leadership,” the news release states. “She has served the Town of Stratford for almost 36 years and is so well-deserving of the recognition granted to her by CYSA.”

“Tammy plays an integral role in upholding the well-being of our community and she works diligently to ensure services are accessible to as many groups as possible within Town,” Stratford Mayor Laura R. Hoydick said. “We deeply value the work Tammy has done and our community is filled with gratitude for her efforts, we are proud to have her as an integral member of our team.”

Read more from the news release below:

The Town of Stratford has significantly benefited from the work and leadership of Tammy in her role as Director of Community and Senior Services. There are a variety of projects, practices, and efforts implemented by Tammy that contributed to her being the recipient of the Laura T. Brown Career Award.

Such achievements include the reorganization of the department to allow for a more holistic approach to services across the lifespan while simultaneously providing a seamless access to services.

Additionally, in response to the youth mental health crisis, Tammy worked to increase capacity to provide youth and family counseling and court-diversion services through the Juvenile Review Board.

Lastly, Tammy has collaborated with Stratford Parents' Place to pilot Raising Highly Capable Kids, a parenting workshop. She is also the co-chair of Stratford Strong, a local long-term pandemic recovery task force.

“I am so honored and humbled to receive this very meaningful award from youth-service professionals across the state,” Trojanowski said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of Mayor Hoydick's team in being committed to quality service.”