Doback receives Citizenship Award

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State Senator Joan Hartley, right, reads a proclamation honoring Joan Doback, of Naugatuck, during the Franklin E. Johnson, Sr., Citizenship Award Mayoral Breakfast Nov. 15 at Jesse Camille’s Restaurant in Naugatuck. Doback is the chairwoman of the Naugatuck Education Foundation. –LUKE MARSHALL

NAUGATUCK — For many years of service to the community, Joan Doback was honored with the Franklin E. Johnson, Sr., Citizenship Award.

“It’s hard to summarize her community service because it’s so broad. There’s so many different activities that Joan is involved in,” said Naugatuck Mayor Mezzo, during the annual award breakfast Nov. 15.

Doback currently chairs the Naugatuck Education Foundation, which raises money to give as grants to Naugatuck public school teachers for specific educational projects, and has been active in numerous school and athletic organizations.

“Sometimes she’s the person operating those organizations, sometimes she’s just a supporter, but no matter what she does, she puts her heart and soul into that, and we are a better community for it,” Mezzo said.

Doback compared her volunteering to a snowball.

“Volunteerism is a funny thing, and for me it’s like a snow ball, which picks up speed going down hill, growing ever bigger as it rolls. I started as the parent of a kindergartener and coordinator of box tops at Western School, and look what it’s become,” Doback said.

She said that, even though she has volunteered with many different groups and many different causes, she never volunteered alone. She thanked many people who assisted her in volunteering for different causes.