Melville Resident Named 2017 Woman of Distinction

A Melville woman was recently recognized as a 2017 Woman of Distinction for two decades of volunteering for multiple community organizations.

Dawn Spano has been a volunteer in the Melville community for nearly two decades and has dedicated much of her time to assisting the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smithtown. Through her efforts, she has helped hundreds of dogs assist the visually-impaired and veterans in need of assistance.

Spano began volunteering for the Half Hollow Hills Central School District PTA then moved on to organizing and collecting holiday gifts for the residents of Madonna Heights Residential Treatment Center.

Spano became involved with the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smithtown about eight years ago and continues to volunteer weekly. She is currently raising her sixth puppy and is housing a male Guide Dog Foundation stud and a female who has bred three times. She also helps new volunteers raise puppies, participates in educational awareness presentations and has helped raise more than $25,000 for the foundation through fundraising efforts. Spano is also involved with using therapy dogs to help children with special needs, independently working with hospitals and libraries. She is a member of the speaker’s bureau, the whelping team and the breeding department.

Spano also volunteers for Mothers against Drunk Driving and assisted in organizing a party for children at Good Samaritan Hospital.

“Through her many activities, Dawn Spano has demonstrated a passion for helping others,” D’Amaro said in a press release. “Her volunteerism truly exemplifies the humanitarian spirit, and I am honored to designate Ms. Spano as the District 17 Woman of Distinction for 2017.”

Spano was presented a special proclamation at the Suffolk County 2017 Women of Distinction Luncheon on March 28, 2017 at the William H. Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge on March 28.

Spano lives in Melville with her husband and three children. She was nominated by Cheryl Haiken, D’Amaro’s representative on the Suffolk County Women’s Advisory Commission.

Image via office of D'Amaro