Shrewsbury – The Shrewsbury Democratic Town Committee will honor four local activists, along with U.S. Representative James P. McGovern, at its biennial Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Awards Dinner Friday, Oct. 25, at Maironis Park in Shrewsbury.
Three Shrewsbury residents will be presented with the committee's Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award: Kim Long, of Tip Pond Road; Dorothy Thyden, of Williamsburg Court; and Jonathan Wright, of North Street. Long, a small business owner, has been active with community and nonprofit organizations in the area, including Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Massachusetts. Thyden has been a Democratic activist in Worcester County for decades, and is a former Shrewsbury Town Meeting member from Precinct 6. Wright, a longtime treasurer of the Democratic Town Committee, is director of Real Estate Development for Caritas Communities Inc. and also a past member of the Shrewsbury Planning Board.
Rithika Kulathila of Beths Road will be presented with the committee's Outstanding Youth Award. Kulathila is a Shrewsbury High School graduate and holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst; she is currently studying at the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at UMass Boston.
McGovern will receive the committee's “Democrat of the Year” honor, reserved for public officials who have gone above and beyond the call to service. McGovern has represented Shrewsbury in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997. Born and raised in Worcester, McGovern was a longtime aide to the late Congressman Joe Moakley prior to his own election in 1996. McGovern ranks second in seniority among Democrats on the House Rules Committee.
“We couldn's be more excited about this year's Eleanor Roosevelt honorees,” said Jason Palitsch, committee chair. “These outstanding individuals truly represent the best of our party, and of our community. Kim, Dottie, and Jon have
given back to Shrewsbury in countless ways over the years, and are more than deserving of this recognition. Rithika is a shining example of the kind of young leader we need to see more of in the political sphere. And Congressman McGovern has been a fighter for Shrewsbury for the better part of two decades, and a leader on important issues like hunger.”
The dinner will include a cocktail hour beginning at 6:30 p.m., and the program and dinner starting at 7:30 p.m. The event will be held at Maironis Park, 52 S. Quinsigamond Ave. Tickets are $45; a reservation form can be found online at www.ShrewsburyDemocrats.org.
The Shrewsbury Democratic Town Committee is the local Democratic Party entity in Shrewsbury, and functions to support Democratic candidates running for area offices. For more information, visit www.ShrewsburyDemocrats.org, or contact the group via e-mail at [email protected].
