Joseph Fay
The inaugural Boys & Girls Club Shining Star Recognition Dinner will be held on Friday, Jan. 26 at Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern. (Snow date is Saturday, Jan. 27.) The event opens with an open bar from 6-7 p.m. followed by dinner and the evening’s program from 7-10 p.m. Tickets cost $95 per person, with all funds raised benefitting the Boys & Girls Club Saugerties Unit. Reservations are required, and may be made by calling the club office at (845) 338-8666. Sponsors for ads in the event program may call the same number.
The Shining Star Award for Individual Service will be awarded to Joseph Fay, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Ulster County since 1984. Fay’s association with the club began in 1964, as a nine-year-old member of the organization known as the Kingston Boys Club at the time. As executive director, Fay was instrumental in the 1989 capital campaign that raised more than $1,000,000 to build a new facility in Kingston, and he orchestrated the “Home of Our Own” campaign that raised $750,000 to build a new facility in Saugerties in 1997. During his tenure with the Boys & Girls Club, Fay has worked with more than 10,000 youth.
The Kiwanis Club of Saugerties will also be honored at the event, awarded the Shining Star Community Service Award for their long-term commitment to the Saugerties community and their dedication to the Boys & Girls Club. They organize the annual Hudson Valley Garlic Festival each September and instigated building the Kiwanis Ice Arena in 2000. Kiwanis supports many school and community activities, awarding nine annual $2,000 scholarships to graduating seniors in Saugerties and they sponsor the Key and Builders clubs. They support Kamp Kiwanis and Karing for Kids and fund the annual Fourth of July fireworks and the Seamon Park Holiday Lights project. They contribute to the Mum Festival, food pantry, Scouting programs, town skateboard park and lighting projects at Cantine Field.