Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes will honor five individuals June 4 at its 15th Annual Sharing the Light Dinner at Club 86 in Geneva.
The annual Sharing the Light Award honors individuals whose service has contributed to the betterment of their communities and reflects God’s healing. The recipients of this year’s award are W. Averell “Ave” H. Bauder, Joyce and Ed Dailor, Jan Vogt DiDuro and state Sen. Michael F. Nozzolio.
The recipients have shown God’s love to those in their communities in need of love, kindness, hope and understanding, said Ellen Wayne, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes.
“This year’s group of honorees distinguish themselves in our community by their giving nature, their dedication to making the lives of others better and by the profound impact they have on individuals who are in need,” Wayne said. “They are each awe-inspiring in their own individual ways, and collectively they set an incredible example for all of us to follow. That is at the heart of what this award is all about.”
Bauder has spent much of his career working in higher education and community agencies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a master’s degree in higher education from Syracuse University. After earning his degrees he worked for Hobart and William Smith as well as Bradford College and Keuka College before joining the staff at the Seneca County chapter of the American Red Cross.
Bauder became executive director of that organization in 1996, and in 1997 he was named executive director of the American Red Cross in the Finger Lakes region. Ten years ago he returned to Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he since has served as director of the college’s Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning.
He also is an active member of Christ Episcopal Church in Willard and a member of the Geneva Rotary Club. He previously belonged to the boards of directors for the Rotary Club and Ontario County United Way, and he is a coach with the YMCA’s Geneva Youth Lacrosse Program.
Ed and Joyce Dailor are both graduates of DeSales High School in Geneva and active members of Geneva’s Our Lady of Peace Parish, where they are involved in a number of ministries and have served on the parish’s pastoral council. The couple also volunteers with the Geneva Community Lunch Program and led three trips to New Orleans to help with recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Ed serves on the board of directors for Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes and works with a number of organizations, including Literacy Volunteers, the Geneva Scholarship Associates and the American Red Cross’ blood-donor program. Joyce also is very involved in the community and has worked with the Geneva Interfaith Council and her parish’s Dove Program, which provides rides to Geneva residents unable to drive or pay for public transportation.
Vogt DiDuro also is a member of Our Lady of Peace Parish, where she serves on the core team for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program. She also has served on the Geneva Interfaith Council and has volunteered with a number of local organizations, including the Geneva Library and the Seneca Lake Whale Watch. Vogt DiDuro is an advocate for the Rochester/Finger Lakes Eye and Tissue Bank and works with the Amateur Athletic Union Basketball travel team.
Vogt DiDuro worked at the Seneca County ARC for 13 years and is certified as a national bereavement facilitator through the American Academy of Bereavement. In 1992 she developed and facilitated Bridges Bereavement Support Group, through which she offers grief coaching for individuals and facilitates monthly support-group meetings and other gatherings for grieving individuals.
Nozzolio has served in the state Senate since 1993, and he served in the state Assembly for nearly a decade before that. He currently serves as the ranking Republican member of the Senate Energy Committee, is a member of the Senate Finance Committee and is the senior senator representing the Monroe County delegation.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in labor relations and a master’s degree in public administration and agricultural economics, as well as a juris doctor degree from the Syracuse University College of Law. Nozzolio’s efforts during his years in office have been varied, and he has been honored by many groups, including the New York State Farm Bureau, the Boy Scouts of America and the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce.
