With over 12,000 applications competing for Stevie Awards, the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary has been crowned with a Gold Stevie Award for Nonprofit/Government Agency of the year by the American Business Association. Jenny Hubbard, the sanctuary’s president, has also been recognized with the Thought Leader of the Year award.

Trying her best to stay humble, Hubbard described the recognition as “an honor.”

“The thing about the sanctuary that I’m grateful was recognized is that this has never been done before … to be able to work with such a great group of people and forge a path that hasn’t been forged, and to continue to sustain the momentum that we’ve sustained for now 12 years is pretty remarkable,” Hubbard said.

The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary was founded in 2014, two years after 12/14, to commemorate and honor Catherine Violet Hubbard, Jenny’s daughter. In the heart of Newtown, 34 acres of farmland remains to bolster wildlife habitat. The sanctuary has a unique approach to fostering respect for human-animal connection. The sanctuary includes a pollinator garden and a community garden for local nonprofit Real Food CT, an organization that believes everyone has a right to healthy food and is determined to eliminate hunger.

The sanctuary also has the Senior Paw Project, a project aimed at keeping seniors and their pets together by donating pet food, supplies, and covering some vet expenses. To date, the Senior Paw Project has cared for over 450 pets.

“I don’t want to overstate this … the work that we’re doing is kind of complex. To be able to make it look so easy and flawless, and make an impact the way we’ve been able to make it [is remarkable],” Hubbard said.

“For me, personally, the fact that we can put on … low to no-cost programs … already this year we’ve educated close to 700 people. [We] do it all without a building because the Learning Barn is not in yet. With such a small crew of people, we’ve already had organizational support by 500 volunteers,” Hubbard said. “And we’re just getting started!”

Hubbard said that the award was “a nice moment” for the full-time staff of only five people, and she hopes it is for Newtown, too, and that the impact the sanctuary is making is not taken for granted.

“The Stevie Award, if anything, it has me really realizing just how much work we’ve done,” Hubbard added.

“To be recognized by the American Business Association? I mean,” she laughed, “Oh my gosh! Who said nonprofits weren’t businesses?”

Hubbard was reluctant to discuss her own award, but she said that the award was given to her for “the innovative thought” that is behind the work at the sanctuary. The award focused on her resiliency and the ability “to create something out of tragedy.” The award also recognizes the fact that the work at the sanctuary is a new approach.

“I love the fact that they tied the thought leader piece … back to compassion and resiliency,” Hubbard shared. She added that she thinks the award speaks to the state recognizing the sanctuary last year as a model for building community and human empathy.

The state recognition “speaks volumes,” Hubbard said. “But then to be able to say, ‘Okay, the American Business Association turns around and they see thought leadership behind creating innovative approaches to … create resiliency and model resiliency.’”

Hubbard added, “You know what? The thought leadership thing is nothing more than a recognition of being surrounded by an amazing team that helps think through and realize visions.”

“I often will think, ‘Well, you know, it’s a beautiful mission,’ because Catherine is beautiful and it’s a beautiful story of what can happen with tragedy and Catherine’s gentle whisper. To have it balanced out by a business organization that says, ‘Yeah, they’re doing remarkable work.’ I think it legitimizes it,” Hubbard shared.

She added that she thinks the greater community “sees now that kindness, and compassion, and human empathy, and stewardship of our planet, they are important forces that need to be recognized.”

“It’s not just the bottom line. It’s not just the number of donations that come in or the amount of money that comes in. It’s the impact that we can make. We have made such a significant impact by following the course that Catherine set out … we have not wavered off of that. At all. And I think this is a testament to what happens when you stay focused on that,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard hopes Newtown feels the same way about the sanctuary and this recognition as she does. “The Town of Newtown has received a designation we should all be proud of.”

The team will be recognized on June 10 in New York City at the official awards ceremony. The presentation of the awards will be broadcast online at stevieawards.com/aba/watch-2025-awards-presentations.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.