Around Town

Recognizing New Canaan’s Volunteers: Locals, Community Foundation To Continue Town Tradition

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A group of locals is seeing to it that an important and longstanding tradition—of recognizing those in New Canaan who give of their time through volunteerism—will continue. For nearly 20 years, local volunteers had been honored through a spring program that involved the United Way. When that organization no longer was able to support the effort, locals who served on a committee overseeing the volunteer awards decided to find another way to get recognition for those who have earned it. “We’re talking about the person who usually flies under the radar, who has been doing something for a long time out of the goodness of their heart,” said Tucker Murphy, a member of the committee. Now, with generous support from the New Canaan Community Foundation, the awards will go on, with a Nov.

Around Town

‘An Extremely Committed Volunteer’: High Praise for Tracey Karl as She Steps Down from NCHS All Sports Booster Club

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Tom Stadler recalls vividly the first time he met Tracey Karl. It was more than a decade ago, and the pair stood atop the hill at Conner Field, watching 9-year-olds play in a baseball game that had dragged on for nearly three hours. Stadler, then president of New Canaan Baseball, recalled saying out loud that the game had been going on too long. “And she says, ‘Yes, it’s too long,’ and so we started this conversation and she says what about this and that, and I said, ‘Tracey, would you like to be on the baseball board?’ It was the first time we’d met and I didn’t know her from Adam.”

In characteristic fashion, Karl said ‘Yes’ to the demanding volunteer position and went on to make lasting changes to the organization that have streamlined and otherwise operations, all with a goal of improving the youth sports experience for New Canaan kids. “I think the world of Tracey,” Stadler said.