Date: Fri 18-Jun-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: JAN

Quick Words:

Marie-Walker-community-service

Full Text:

Marie Walker Honored For Work On Behalf Of Children And Families

(with photos)

BY JAN HOWARD

Marie Walker's longtime concern and work on behalf of children and families

has been recognized with a community service award from a Danbury regional

agency. The award was presented to Mrs Walker on June 9 at the annual luncheon

of the Danbury Regional Commission on Child Care, Rights and Abuse at the

Stony Hill Inn in Bethel.

The commission is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse by supporting and

empowering families. Its annual luncheon is its way of thanking individuals

who strive toward that common goal.

Regina Platano of Newtown, a member of the commission's Board of Directors,

made the award presentation to Mrs Walker and other area recipients.

Of Mrs Walker, Ms Platano said, "She is one of those people who make her

community a great place to live. If there is a project related to children and

families, Marie is involved."

Mrs Walker's volunteer efforts have been centered around service to children

and families for many years.

The Commission on Child Care, Rights and Abuse recognized Mrs Walker for her

work with the Girl Scouts, her church fellowship, children's crafts, holiday

food baskets, shut in visits and dinners for needy families, among others.

Perhaps Mrs Walker is best known for her role as Mrs Claus at the annual

Christmas Tree lighting at Ram's Pasture.

Ms Platano worked for the Chamber of Commerce for the tree lighting and

remembered being one of the people assigned to Mr and Mrs Claus prior to the

ceremony. When the children first caught sight of the red-clad couple, Ms

Platano found herself running interference to clear a path for them through

the excited youngsters.

"I had to run or the kids would have run me down," Ms Platano remembers. "It

was a like a mob scene. The kids really wanted to get to them."

The community service awards are open to the public. According to Ms Platano,

the commission requests nominations from social service clubs and agencies,

previous nominees, supporters of the commission, and others. Mrs Walker was

nominated by C.H. Booth Library Director Janet Woycik.

"You should have seen all she wrote about Marie," Ms Platano said. "We

couldn't begin to include it all, so we just read some of it and said etc.,

etc., etc. She is a treasure."

Mrs Walker has been a library assistant for 13 years. She works at the

circulation desk and in the children's department, helps patrons find books,

answers their calls and questions, shelves books, presents puppet shows, and

leads two story times.

She also takes charge of circuit videos that come once a month and books on

tape and handles inter-library loans.

She has also run the Labor Day book sale food tent.

She also enjoys PJ night for small children during July. "We just have a great

time," she said this week. "They come in pajamas, and we read them stories and

do songs and finger plays. We dress up in PJs, too. They bring their teddy

bears."

She can also have as many as 15 children enrolled in her holiday crafts

offerings at the library. She has worked with children six and up teaching

various crafts for about eight years.

She has portrayed Mrs Claus at the tree lighting for about nine years, handing

out candy canes and asking the children what they want for Christmas.

"They're so cute. They just light up," she said.

The day after the tree lighting, she's Mrs Claus again at the Breakfast with

Santa.

"I try to help him out," Mrs Walker said. "When I started doing it, I didn't

have any grandchildren. I wanted to work with little children because they're

special."

She is a member of the Borough Board of Burgesses and has been its treasurer

for five years.

"We once did flowers around the borough, but we don't do that anymore," she

noted.

She was a Girl Scout leader for four years and a band parent for eight.

She has been involved with her church fellowship for 15 years, making personal

hygiene kits for migrant workers and providing baskets for the needy and

holiday food baskets. She was president for two years and co-president for two

years.

She also helps out with hospitality following funerals, delivers dinners to

shut-ins, helps with meals if someone is in the hospital, and has delivered

flowers from the church to shut-ins. "I talk and visit with them for awhile,"

she said.

Mrs Walker is a member of the Fairfield County Farm Bureau, providing

education on ecology. "I want to help farms stay in business," she said.

A lifelong native of Newtown along with her husband, Mrs Walker grew up on a

farm on Head o' Meadow Road.

"We have to keep farmlands as much as possible," she said. "They are just

disappearing."

When she's not helping others or working at the library, Mrs Walker enjoys

reading and doing crafts, such as knitting and crocheting, at home. She also

likes to garden.

"I enjoy flower arranging," she said. At one time, she provided arrangements

for the library. She also enjoys sharing the bounty of her vegetable garden

with others.

And now that she has grandchildren, like so many other grandmothers she enjoys

helping out with babysitting.

Mrs Walker's husband, Cliff, their son Dale, and daughter Linda attended the

luncheon in her honor. She and her husband have another daughter, Darlene

Spencer.

The speaker at the luncheon was Jack Hasegawa, coordinator of diversity and

multi-cultural programs for the Connecticut State Department of Education.

Other area recipients of awards were Sharon Wicks Dornfeld, Mimi Halpine, John

Kline, Dr Alicia Perez and Robert Yakacki. Andrea Bria was the recipient of

the Linda Newby Award.