VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – To spotlight doers in the Central New York area during Women’s History Month, Assemblyman Al Stirpe hosted his 11th Annual Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony at the Fayetteville Village Hall on March 18.
The morning ceremony in the second-floor courtroom applauded six women seen as deserving of praise by Stirpe’s office who have not had as many accolades to show for their efforts as others.
“The things that these ladies have done, you’re like, ‘Wow, how’d you do that all in one lifetime?’” Stirpe said. “Most of them are pretty shocked when they find out that someone nominated them because a lot of the time they do all this stuff in the background.”
The recognition is limited to women who live within the 127th Assembly District represented by Stirpe, a district that currently encompasses Clay, Cicero, Manlius and Cazenovia. Donna Gomez, the constituent liaison for Stirpe’s office, said this year’s group of honorees was narrowed down from a pool of more than 50 women.
The ceremony saw the nominators and nominees trade off at the podium to share some words about the honor being given.
The first honoree brought up, Alexandra “Sandi” Galler is, at the age of 80, a part-time retail worker and a volunteer for such organizations as the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Food Pantry, the Samaritan Center, the Rescue Mission and Francis House. She has also been involved with Sister Sister, a local group that seeks to foster friendships between women in urban and suburban neighborhoods.
“Thank you, Mom, for being such an incredible example of humanity not only to your children but also to those you have served throughout the years,” Galler’s daughter said.
Galler said she shares the honor with other selfless women who devote their time and energy to help others in need.
“I am so grateful and blessed by each of you who rip up your to-do lists, rearrange your schedules and walk across the room to be a stretcher-bearer and a beacon of hope to a brother or a sister who needs to know that they are important, they are essential and they are loved,” Galler said.
Chosen in the business category, Gretta Miles is a certified public accountant who has worked in finance director positions for Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and TCGplayer.com and now as a controller and assistant treasurer for Carrols Corporation.
“She doesn’t let any barriers stop her from getting the job done or finding success,” said her younger brother, who introduced her at the ceremony and nominated her for the award. He said she has inspired many young professionals with her persistence, attention to detail and outside-the-box thinking and that she has accepted more responsibilities “without blinking” after the sudden passing of Carrols CEO Paulo Pena on New Year’s Eve.
Miles thanked her family for their support when she stepped to the front of the room.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized here today with these amazing women who are clearly leaving their marks on this wonderful community that I’m proud to call home,” Miles said.
The next woman of distinction was Amy Ayten Ay, who teaches children at Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School and organizes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) summer camps for middle school students. She emigrated from Turkey in 2005 to earn her doctorate in chemistry from Michigan State University and has since taken over 200 high school students to conferences for research and science in addition to coaching a science bowl varsity team, running an international women’s book club and volunteering as a counselor for Salaam Magazine.
“When you’re an educator, you don’t think about your success—you think about your students’ success,” Ayten Ay said.
Damarys Diaz-Pease was nominated by a friend and fellow nurse. It was mentioned that Diaz-Pease has volunteered to work the night shift and overtime hours in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Crouse Hospital and that she even returned to work while she was receiving treatment for breast cancer.
On top of translating for Spanish-speaking patients and their families, Diaz-Pease also volunteers for events like the March of Dimes Preemie Fashion Show, the Preemie Reunion and the Ronald McDonald House Homecoming. She said that although the work of her NICU is “far from over,” knowing they have made a difference in people’s lives gives the nurses the strength to continue.
Dr. Karen Teelin, a Fayetteville resident, was nominated by a local woman and her transgender daughter. Teelin is an adolescent medicine and pediatrics specialist who has worked with children who identify as transgender or non-binary.
She has also had multiple articles published in the Journal of Pediatrics and the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.
Andrea Stookey Colella, the founder of From the Ground Up Therapeutic Horsemanship, Inc., was honored for her work as a horseback riding instructor but was unable to attend Saturday’s ceremony due to illness.