Gifts of Love Elects Three New Board Members
Gifts of Love Elects Three New Board Members
With the change of the seasons, comes the change in many non-profit boards, including Gifts of Love. The statewide charity that provides food, clothing and household items to Connecticut individuals and families facing a financial crisis, recently named three outstanding individuals to its Board of Directors. They are Joan Lazar Kemler of Avon, Vaughn Robbins of West Simsbury and Nestor Leon of Newington.
“Each of our new Board appointees brings such a diverse background to the table and we know that their collective intelligence will help us solidify our underlying mission of helping more neighbors in need,” said Lisa Gray, executive director of Gifts of Love. “We openly welcome their input and ideas in growing our organization in both geographic and donor reach.”
Gray further notes that the combined expertise of three new Board Members encompasses healthcare, social justice, diversity and inclusion, management, mentorship and financial proficiencies with each possessing strong volunteerism and leadership within the homelessness, food scarcity and unemployment sectors.
Joan Lazar Kemler spent the last 20 years of her career as a Nurse Practitioner in Geriatric and Family Psychiatry and subsequently started the Learning Disabilities Association in the Farmington Valley. She has served as a volunteer at Gifts of Love as a previous Board member and current volunteer and Board Member for the last 20 years.
Vaughn Robbins is a retired actuary with a strong background in leading the development of new products and marketing strategies in both the U.S. and international markets. His distinguishing competencies include financial analysis, risk management, strategy development, problem solving, collaboration and project management, leadership and team building. Robbins is excited to continue using his skills to collaborate with non-profit organizations on the development and implementation of programs which can help meet both their objectives and provide substantial benefit to the community at large.
Nestor Leon is Project Director with Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) in Hartford in which he manages the Health Horizons program, a statewide $35 million healthcare initiative with more than 20 institutions of higher education. In this role, Leon has negotiated over sixty-three agreements to expand nursing and social work practitioners over the next three years, established protocols and procedures to quickly align initiative goals with contracted partners and convened system partners to develop seamless delivery systems. He has demonstrated a proven ability to manage effectively, while establishing rapport and relating sensitively to multiracial and multicultural individuals seamlessly. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Operations for The Workplace, Inc. in Bridgeport where he directly managed over $25 million in Federal, State and corporate funding and was in charge of overseeing the nationally recognized Southwestern Connecticut American Job Centers which serve more than 33,000 customers yearly.
Gifts of Love currently services 41 towns across Connecticut by offering two fully-stocked food pantries consisting of non-perishable food items, meats, dairy products, frozen items, and fresh produce, as well as paper goods, cleaning, and personal hygiene items; a housewares and small appliances pantry; and a clothing boutique, where clients can come and shop once a month. The organization has two locations- in Avon and in Hartford- to make it easy for those in need to access necessary goods and services. It is also on the front lines of fighting childhood hunger with its Weekend Food Backpack Program, during which it distributes backpacks stuffed with easy-to-prepare meals and drinks to more than 300 students each week who are receiving free or reduced-cost lunches throughout the school year.
