Sertoma wins Matt Schuman Award

People of all backgrounds and abilities joined Friday night over endless bottles of wine and hors d'oeuvres to celebrate their differences and contribute to a good cause.

"It brings together in the community, who otherwise, they may never encounter," said Beth Danielson, director of the Connections for Independent Living, a center that helps people with disabilities live on their own terms. "A lot of people are never in a situation where they get meet people with disabilities."

The event was part of the 10th Annual Gala of Wines and Downtown Delicacies fundraiser, which features wines from around the world, food from around Greeley and the presentation of the Matt Schuman Award.

The Matt Schuman Award -- named for veteran Tribune reporter Matt Schuman -- is presented by Connections for Independent Living to an individual or organization that provides assistance to people with disabilities. Friday was the fourth annual award presentation. This year's award recipient is Weld Women's Sertoma, an organization that has supported those with disabilities for more than a decade.

"We chose them because of the thousands of things they did over the years and they have also committed thousands of dollars to people with disabilities," Danielson said.

Weld Women's Sertoma has purchased equipment for North Colorado Medical Center and Monfort Children's Clinic, to test hearing in children.

The organization has also funded sign language interpreters and a "host day, " which is a field day for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

"We want to increase our support and we are very honored to be receiving the Matt Schuman Award and helping people with disabilities of all ages," said Linda Winter, president-elect of the Weld Women's Sertoma, a 25-member organization. "Our club is delighted, but we don't do it for the awards."

The organization recently applied for a grant to purchase an ATV with a trailer, which will be used by people with disabilities to go on the Poudre River Trail.