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| Cheryl Rogowski Receives Top Award from Leadership Orange |
Orange County, New York - The Board of Directors of Leadership Orange is pleased to announce that Cheryl Rogowski, General Manager of the W. Rogowski Farm and a graduate of the Leadership Orange Class of 1999 will be honored with the organization’s Pinnacle of Leadership Award. Ms. Rogowski will receive the third annual award on Monday evening, September 24th at the Hilton Garden Inn in Newburgh. The celebration is part of the Leadership Orange Class of 2008 Orientation.
Each year, a select group of Orange County individuals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences participates in the 10-month leadership training program. Class participants receive training on topics important to Orange County residents and businesses including education, health and human services, communications, government and politics, the environment, culture and recreation, economic development, leadership development, and the judicial system.
The training enables community members to better understand the many challenges facing Orange County and prepares them to better serve our community. Leadership Orange is a completely private, nonpartisan organization that relies on support from the business community to reach its goals. Over 360 men and women have graduated from the Leadership Orange program since its inception in 1993.
This is the third year that Leadership Orange has presented the Pinnacle of Leadership Award. This prestigious honor is awarded annually to a Leadership Orange graduate who demonstrates the principles of leadership through their actions and adherence to the highest ethics within the community.
Cheryl Rogowski is a life-long resident of Pine Island and grew up in a family immersed in farming. She consistently demonstrates leadership under adverse conditions, remarkable adaptation, and flexibility. Ms. Rogowski has helped revitalize the character of family farming as a commercial enterprise and as an engine of community development.
Ms. Rogowski has been a leader in the creation of Community Supported Agricultural programs (CSAs) in Orange County and in New York City. She has experimented with individual CSAs for targeted groups such as Hispanics, seniors, and soup kitchens. Ms. Rogowski plays a key role in the New Farmer Development Project that mentors immigrant farmers seeking to establish their own farms. Other efforts, such as literacy programs for migrant farm workers and public art exhibits in support of local foods, demonstrate Ms. Rogowski’s contemporary solutions to the challenges facing family farms in the United States.
In 2004, Ms. Rogowski was one of only 23 people in the country to receive a Genius Grant from the MacArthur Foundation – the first farmer in the history of this program to be so recognized. She has been honored by the Orange County Legislature with a Distinguished Service Award, and by Mount St. Mary College with a Distinguished Alumni Award for her efforts in promoting the agricultural industry as a whole. In 2006, Ms. Rogowski was named a New York State Senate Woman of Distinction.
Ms. Rogowski is a graduate of SUNY Orange and Mount St. Mary College. In addition to managing the Rowgowski Family Farm, she was instrumental in launching the Warwick Farmers’ Market in 1993.
The award will be presented to Ms. Rogowski on Monday, September 24 at 5:30 PM. For ticket information or to attend the event, please call 845-457-1550. |
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