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Robin McHaelen And Leadership Greater Hartford Chosen As 2009 Hartford Courant Tapestry Award Honorees

For Immediate Release
Contact: Andrea Savastra, (860) 241-3934
Corporate Affairs & Communications Consultant
Hartford Courant & WTIC/WTXX-TV
285 Broad Street
Hartford, CT 06115

(Hartford, CT) Robin McHaelen, executive director, True Colors, Inc. and Leadership Greater Hartford were recently chosen as recipients of the Hartford Courant’s 11th annual Tapestry Award, recognizing an individual and an organization that excels in building bridges of understanding in the region.

As the “individual” honoree, McHaelen is being recognized for her hard work and dedication to raising awareness and understanding around the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Questioning (LGBTI) population to the community. LGH was chosen in the “organization category” for its ability to bring together people from different backgrounds and experiences around a common purpose and for the betterment of the community.

Robin McHaelen
Robin McHaelen, MSW, is the founder and executive director of True Colors, Inc. Sexual Minority Youth and Family Services, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that works to create a world where youth, adults and families of all sexual orientations and gender identities are valued and affirmed.

Among the many projects she has established since founding the organization, McHaelen started the largest LGBTI youth conference in the nation back in 1993. The conference continues today and has resulted in the creation of dozens of school-based programs, a mentoring program, policy changes at both the local and state level, leadership skills training for LGBTI and ally youth and the Safe Harbor project – a collaboration between True Colors and the State Department of Children and Families. She is the recipient of numerous awards including most recently, the 2008 National Education Association’s Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights and the 2008 Social Worker of the Year (National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter).

Leadership Greater Hartford
Leadership Greater Hartford has championed the value of diversity for over 30 years. Its mission is to awaken and develop the leadership potential of people, connect diverse leaders around shared interests and inspire them to build strong and vibrant communities throughout the region. Leadership Greater Hartford encourages and prepares diverse people to address common concerns in the community.

According to Ted Carroll, president of the organization, “Through its programs, seminars, conferences, projects, and social events, Leadership Greater Hartford has facilitated relationships that otherwise would not have occurred and have created lasting contributions to the community.”

Leadership Greater Hartford helps people understand that their communities, though separated from other areas by lines on a map, are linked together by common interests and a shared future that can only be realized through collaboration and cooperation. The organization fosters understanding across different cultures and backgrounds, and how these differences can come together for good. And Leadership Greater Hartford’s programs and services are open to any individual, no matter their age, socioeconomic level, home town, or occupation, who wants to further their careers, enhance their retirement, and develop meaningful relationships.

Ads in the Hartford Courant and on FOX 61 and courant.com this summer invited state residents to nominate candidates for the 2009 Tapestry Award. Robin McHaelen and Leadership Greater Hartford were selected from among 29 nominees by an independent panel of six judges. Previous winners of the Hartford Courant Tapestry Award were:

  • 2008 – Ken Kahn, former executive director of the Greater Hartford Arts Council; and United Technologies Corporation, Inc.
  • 2007 – Charter Oak Cultural Center
  • 2006 – Shelley Solomon, assistant principal, Hall High School
  • 2005 – Hartford Stage
  • 2004 – The Rev. Denny Moon, associate pastor of First Church of Christ in Glastonbury
  • 2003 - Chandler Howard, president & CEO, Fleet Bank Connecticut
  • 2002 - Dr. David Carter, president, Eastern Connecticut State University
  • 2001 - Richard Sugarman, founding president, Connecticut Youth Forum
  • 2000 - Co-winners: McGee Middle School of Berlin and New Britain’s Slade and Roosevelt Middle Schools; and The Gathering Place, Hartford
  • 1999 - Co-winners: East Hartford High School; and David Maloney, assistant principal, Branford High School

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