Family Counseling Center Dinner To Honor Three Community Leaders

The Family Counseling Center, Inc will be honoring three outstanding community leaders at its third annual Friends of the Family Recognition Dinner on April 28. The event, which is a major fundraiser for FCC, will be held at Capillaro’s Grove in Bethel.

Every year the Family Counseling Center chooses to recognize outstanding members of the community who have contributed to the center’s mission to help children, families, and individuals meet life’s challenges no matter what their economic status. This year’s honorees are Donna M. Ramey, Dr Z. Michael Taweh, and Elaine McClure.

Donna M. Ramey is executive vice president and chief lending officer of the Savings Bank of Danbury. She is also the bank’s compliance and CRA Officer. Ms Ramey has been banking for more than 37 years.

Ms Ramey is very active in the community and currently serves on the board of directors for the Housing Development Fund and the United Way of Northern Fairfield County. She is an advisory board member of the Catholic Family Services Ways to Work Family Loan Program, a member of the United Way’s Housing Opportunity Community Impact Team, Financial Women International, Connecticut Mortgage Bankers Association, and the Banker’s Compliance Association of Connecticut.

Ms Ramey’s past community activities include chairman of the board of directors of the United Way, president of the board of Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, a member of the board of directors of the Danbury Health Systems, and the Rotary Club of Danbury. She is a resident of Newtown.

Dr Taweh is an internist/primary care physician who has his own medical practice in Danbury. He is also founder and director of Kevin’s Community Center, a free clinic in Newtown for the un-insured and underinsured. Dr Taweh, his family, and friends turned a tragedy into positive action when they opened the center following the accidental death of his son, Kevin, for whom the facility is named. There are currently 55 specialists in the greater Danbury area who have joined Dr. Taweh in providing care to clients of Kevin’s Community Center.

Dr Taweh is a Diplomate, American Boards of Internal Medicine with a physician/surgeon license from the State of Connecticut.

In 2004, Dr Taweh received the Dr Melville Magida Award from the Fairfield County Medical Association for his expertise and capacity for patent treatment and care. He was a first-place winner in the American College of Physicians competition and was resident Teacher of the Year at Maimonides Medical Center in 1999. Locally, Dr Taweh received the 2004 Gail Smith Award from Newtown Youth Services for his work in establishing Kevin’s Community Center.

Dr Taweh lives in Newtown with his wife, Jocelyne, and sons Jason and Peter.

Elaine McClure has served on numerous elected and volunteer boards and committees both in Newtown and internationally. She is a long-serving member of the Newtown Board of Education and for the past six years has served as its chairman.

She is a former member of the Family Counseling Center’s board of directors and served on its Strategic Planning and Finance committees.

Mrs McClure serves on the board of directors of the Children’s Hope Fund Board, is a past president of the Newtown PTA Council, and was elected to the Newtown Legislative Council for three terms. She has served on the board of directors of the International School of Geneva and continues to serve as a trustee of its Ecolint American Foundation. She is a member of the Circle of Grace at Newtown Congregational Church and has earned Bronze Life Master status from the American Contract Bridge League.

She and her husband, Bill McClure, assistant general counsel at Praxair, Inc, have three grown children.

For ticket information to the tax deductible Friends of the Family Recognition Dinner, call the Family Counseling Center at 426-8103.

The Family Counseling Center is a licensed nonprofit agency dedicated to helping individuals and families achieve their highest potential. The agency provides counseling, support groups, education and referral services throughout the greater Danbury and Southbury area regardless of ability to pay.