Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 19, 2024 Parson Roby Chapter, NSDAR honors town citizens for making Saugus a better place P arson Roby, the town’s chapter of the Daughters of the Ameri - can Revolution (DAR), held an awards ceremony followed by a luncheon at The MEG building in Cliftondale Square last Saturday (April 13) to honor Saugus residents who contribute to the betterment of their community. The Parson Roby Chapter of the DAR recognized a student of Saugus High as the Good Citizen and also recognized local residents for community service and historic preservation. The Good Citizens Award recognizes outstanding young people who demonstrate dependability, respect, leadership, community service and patriotism who were chosen by administrators and teachers at Saugus High School (SHS). The recipient of the award was Isabella Henriques. Isabella was described as a “compassionate, ambitious, enthusiastic with positive vibes and an advocate for those who struggle to speak up.” She wrote an essay on dependability describing how she learned to be dependable from her father’s sacrifices and hard work. “What people need when things get difficult is knowing you can be counted on to be there.” Isabella is President of the High School Drama Club, President of the Young Feminist Alliance, Secretary of the National Honor Society, Vice President of the Acapella Club – and the list goes on. Good Citizen Chair Charlotte Line presented a Good Citizen pin, a certificate and a monetary gift to Isabella. The Community Service Award recipient was John Benoit, president of the Saugus Little League (SLL), along with the entire board members for all that they have done not only for the youth of Saugus but for the community as a whole. In the two years that this board has been serving SLL, their main objective has been to give the kids that play baseball a better experience, which meant upgrading the fields. With the help of local businesses, the community and their fundraising efforts, they managed to revamp two of its primary fields: Grabowski Field on Hurd Avenue and Elks Field on Main Street. The improvements cost over $25,000 for each field because these fields have not had major work done on them in over 20 years. These improvements included new laser leveling of the fields, new loam and sod, new sprinkler systems, new sound systems and championship banners and flags. There were also countless volunteer hours from the board cleaning up outside the fields, renovating the bullpens, brand-new batting cages and brand-new paint GOOD CITIZEN AWARD: Left to right: Good Citizen Chair Charlotte Line; Isabella Henriques, this year’s recipient of the DAR Good Citizen Award; and local DAR Regent Gail Cassarino. (Courtesy Photo to the Saugus Advocate) jobs on the sheds and snack shacks. In addition to all the fields’ improvements, the board has garnered more interest in SLL baseball by hosting eight-week baseball clinics over the winter. Each Sunday over the winter, board members volunteered for over three hours – helping kids ages five to 12 develop their baseball skills like fielding, catching and hitting. The board has also been getting past SLL kids that have aged out involved by inviting them to attend a free umpire clinic to assist with the younger ages. Also, AWARD | SEE PAGE 20 COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD: Left to right: Saugus Little League Equipment Manager Sal Beatini, Saugus Little League President John Benoit and local DAR Regent Gail Cassarino. (Courtesy Photo to the Saugus Advocate) HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD: Left to right: Historic Preservation Chair Judith Askey; writer Bill Stewart, who is the recipient of this year’s Historic Preservation Award; and local DAR Regent Gail Cassarino. (Courtesy Photo to The Saugus Advocate)
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