NCCJ will present its Annual Human Relations Award on June 14
Dr. Saleem Bajwa, president of the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts
Thomas R. Burton, chief executive officer and president of Hampden Bancorp.
Atty. Hyman G. Darling, partner with Bacon Wilson, P.C.
James O'S. Morton, former president and chief executive officers of the YMCA of Greater Springfield.
Rosaline Abraham, youth community organizer.The National Conference for Community and Justice of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, Inc., founded in 1927 as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, will present its Annual Human Relations Award on June 14 to Dr. Saleem Bajwa, president of the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts, Thomas R. Burton, chief executive officer and president of Hampden Bancorp, Atty. Hyman G. Darling, partner with Bacon Wilson, P.C., and James O’S. Morton, former president and chief executive officers of the YMCA of Greater Springfield.
The presentation at Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will begin with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 7 p.m.
The 2011 Youth Award will be presented to Rosaline Abraham, youth community organizer.
Abraham, a 2006 alum of the conference’s ANYTOWN program and a counselor with the program, recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a bachelor of arts degree in women’s gender and sexuality studies. For several years, she has been an organizer for V-DAY, a global movement to stop violence against women.
The conference honors individuals who have been active in humanitarian concerns such as combating prejudice, ethnic discrimination, and racial bigotry in the community and workplace and have demonstrated their commitment to fostering social justice and cooperation among all races, religions, cultures and abilities.
Bajwa, a physician board certified in internal and pulmonary medicine, practice in Holyoke, and is affiliated with the Holyoke Medical Center. He is a founding member of the Islamic Society. For the past 18 years, he has been the executive director of the Islamic Council of New England, an umbrella organization of Islamic centers and societies of New England, actively hosting inter-faith programs to build alliances and learn from one another. In addition, for more than a decade, Bajwa has served on the Interfaith Council of Western Massachusetts.
Prior to joining the bank, Burton was managing partner of the Springfield office of KPMG Peat Marwick, a position he held for over five years. At KPMG, he also served as an associate SEC reviewing partner and engagement partner for 25 financial institution clients in Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut, ranging in size from $100 million to more $4 billion.
His current and past community activities include chairman of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Western New England College, director and chairman of the Audit Committee of Bankers’ Bank Northeast, director and member of the Investment Committee of the Savings Bank Retirement Association of Massachusetts, audit committee member of BayState Medical Systems, corporator of the Springfield Museums and treasurer of Kent Memorial Library.
Darling is chairman of Bacon Wilson’s estate planning and elder law department. He is also one of just about 100 Special Needs attorneys in the country who were invited to join the Special Needs Alliance, and he has achieved the distinction of Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation.
Morton graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1977, with an undergraduate degree in sociology, and from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston in 1981. He practiced law for 18 years. As a practicing attorney for 18 years , he fought against police brutality and the death penalty and in favor of ward representation and small business development for minorities and women.
He left the practice of law in 1999 and became a social studies-law teacher and track coach at the High School of Commerce from 1999 to 2004. He later was asked to administer the Massachusetts Career Development Institute (MDCI), an adult education and vocational training institute. He became head of the YMCA of Greater Springfield in 2007, leaving there to head the YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford in 2010.
Andrea C. Kandel, executive director of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts region for the conference, said in a release, “We are extremely proud of the dedication and civic engagement shown by this year’s honorees in promoting understanding and respect among all people. Each award recipient has shown tremendous leadership in our community and has worked tirelessly to help promote an inclusive society for all.”
Chairperson of the event is Atty. Jeffrey Fialky with Bacon Wilson.
Stephen A. Davis and John H. Davis of the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation are co-chairs. Tickets to the event are $150 and are available by calling (860) 683-1039.