By Linda Chion Kenney
The Haley House Fund and Brandon resident and veteran Paul Senory were recognized last month at the Community Roundtable’s Community Affairs dinner, where two seniors also received college scholarships.
On behalf of the Haley House Fund, Co-Founder Mary Ellen Harlan, with Co-Founder Dave Braun, a past Honorary Mayor of Brandon, accepted the roundtable’s 2020 Non-Profit of the Year Award. The charity provides living spaces for families while their military loved ones recover from spinal, brain and other life-altering injuries at Tampa’s James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.
Also, at the February 25 dinner, at the Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association, Senory received the 2020 Alice B. Tompkins Community Service Award, in part for his longtime association with the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce’s Military Affairs Council.
Tony Saladino, the 2019 award recipient, noted Senory’s service on the boards of Brandon Regional Hospital, Bank of Tampa and the New Jersey School of Nursing in Brandon; his work with Wounded Warriors; and his work organizing the chamber’s annual Leadership Brandon visit to MacDill Air Force Base. Senory founded Sencommunications, run now by his daughter, Stacie Miller.
Armwood senior Anais Clark and Newsome senior Landon White each received a $1,000 scholarship named posthumously for Maureen Krzanowski, “the guiding force for the roundtable for many years.” Clark, with a weighted 6.26 grade point average, aims to become a meteorologist. White, with a 6.33 GPA, plans to study sports medicine.
Founded more than 60 years ago as the Roundtable Charities of Greater Brandon, the nonprofit Community Roundtable is responsible for the Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade and the annual race for Honorary Mayor of Brandon.
The race kicks off in June and the new Honorary Mayor (like the current Honorary Mayor, Angie Kagey) is named before the parade’s start based on the candidate who raises the most money for selected nonprofits.
Roundtable President Janine Nickerson also promoted the group’s annual Community Service Forum at Brandon High, where students connect with local nonprofits.
The Community Roundtable meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Center Place on 619 Vonderburg Dr. in Brandon. Visit www.thecommunityroundtable.org or call 661-4350.
