Sylvia McBeth and Dr. Beth Kaplin accepted AUNE Horace Mann Spirit of Service Awards at the third Annual Horace Mann Spirit of Service Awards dinner Friday. Bhavani Jaroff, MEd ’01, who also received an award, was unable to attend. The event was held at the Keene Country Club.
The honorees are:
- Citizen’s Award: Sylvia McBeth, former vice president of marketing, planning, and community relations for the Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene (CMC/DHK), Keene, New Hampshire; statewide leader; and incoming chair of the board of trustees for CMC/DHK. Sylvia has served broadly in the New Hampshire community and is also on the Board of the Savings Bank of Walpole.
- Staff/Faculty Award: Dr. Beth Kaplin, core faculty member in AUNE’s Department of Environmental Studies and director for the Center for Tropical Ecology and Conservation at AUNE. An internationally known scholar, Beth founded the Regional Network for Conservation Educators in the Albertine Rift and is helping to create an educational system for conservation biologists in Africa, including an MS program at the National University of Rwanda.
- Alumni Award: Bhavani Jaroff, MEd ’01, owner of iEatGreen, an educational organization based in New York City. Bhavani founded the first natural foods catering company in the city and, for the last 25 years, has partnered with many organizations to feed the homeless. One example: she serves 400 people at her annual Thanksgiving Feast in Queens.
AUNE president Dr. Stephen B. Jones was the keynote speaker.
The Horace Mann Spirit of Service Awards are named for Horace Mann, the first president of Antioch College and a noted abolitionist and educator. They honor the efforts of individuals who have won victories for humanity, in Mann’s words, through their work or volunteerism. The awards represent the selfless efforts of extraordinary women and men in our community. In honoring their efforts, we continue our commitment to public service and appreciation for those who work for community engagement, diversity, lifelong learning, sustainability, and social justice.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the AUNE scholarship fund, enabling more deserving students to experience an AUNE education.
