As a refresher, the New York State PTA Honorary Life Membership Award is given to individuals (not couples or groups) in recognition of superior dedication and distinguished service to children and youth in any or all of the following areas:  home, school, community and place of worship.  Nominees may be chosen from any area, and are not required to be PTA members or be well known beyond their own area of service.  The recipient does not become an active member of PTA by this award.  Council seeks nominees who reach beyond the scope of individual schools.  For example:  a nominee can be a staff member, parent or any individual who is dedicated to children within the school, but is also actively involved in the community, whether as a coach, a volunteer or board member for an organization committed to children and youth, or an advocate for education or other children-related issues.   A nominee can also be a community individual who is not directly associated with any of the schools within our district, such as a coach, mentor, pediatrician or government official, to name a few.

Individuals who have received a PTA Honorary Life Membership Award in the past cannot be nominated again for Honorary Life; however, they can be nominated for the Distinguished Service Award (DSA).  DSA recipients must be PTA members who have been awarded a State Honorary Life Membership.  A list of all past recipients is on the Council website under Founder’s Day/Honorary Life tab on the right navigation bar.  For your convenience, you can click on this link to bring you directly to the council site:  www.shenet.org/community/PTAcouncil/ptacouncil.htm

Completed forms can be e-mailed to ptahonorarylife@aol.com or mailed to Council PTA Honorary Life Committee, c/o Christina Rajotte, 6 Colonial Drive, Clifton Park, NY 12065.

The Shen Council PTA Honorary Life Award is separate and independent of the Units Honorary Life Awards.  The deadline for Council nominations is January 25^th.  We recommend that each unit set its deadline prior to January 25^th to avoid duplicate nominations.  Please have your unit Honorary Life Chair e-mail us your unit deadline.  We also request that your chair e-mail us with your unit award recipients’ names by January 25^th, once again to avoid duplications of recipients. Also, a reminder that each unit is responsible for ordering and paying for the award pins for its units recipients, as well as for the awards dinner for the recipients and one guest each.  Council PTA is responsible solely for the Council Level Honorary Life Awards and dinner.

Award recipients will be honored at the PTA Founders Day Dinner on March 26^th at Michael’s Banquet House in Latham, so please save the date!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Christina Rajotte at rajotte@cfdsny.org or 373-9064