Appreciation Awards Aim to Foster Cross-Community Warmth

The grew out of a time of strife, according to one of its founders, and some of the awards’ exemplify the kind of unity they aimed to foster.

Neighborhood Council Chairman Tom Cunha said he and others decided to create the awards ceremony when a lot of new people moved to town, changing the local real estate market and setting the ground for an “us and them” attitude to grow.

But that attitude has lessened over the years, Cunha said, and 2010 winner Zume’s stands as one example.

The coffee shop supplemented its slate of hot beverages and sandwiches with family story times, Cunha noted. As a result, it became a crossroads for new and long-time members of the community.

“Anybody who has their ear to the ground in the community, they make sure they go into Zume’s,” Cunha said.

Likewise, 2010 winner Al Carrier embodied that crossing of worlds. Cunha noted that Carrier married into “one of the oldest families in the community” and built an enduring place for himself.

Carrier, Cunha said, led a build-up in the town’s sporting leagues, growing parental involvement and making the teams more competitive with other towns.

Over the past two decades, Cunha said, the awards have taken on the feel of a reunion as past winners come to cheer on those of the current year.

“It’s a feel-good time,” Cunha said.

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