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Date: 2/11/2021
SOUTHWICK – In its February newsletter, the Southwick Council on Aging named Lisa Anderson this year’s Herbert C. Pace award winner for good citizenship.
Cindy Sullivan, the Council on Aging’s director, said the award was made in honor of Herbert Pace, a longtime member of the council.
“Herb Pace was on our COA board for 36 years, he was a teacher and a principal in Southwick, and he was also the Fence Viewer for over 40 years. When he decided to retire in 2018, I felt like his legacy and his work for the town needed to be honored in some way.
Along with his work as a teacher and for the town, Sullivan said Pace was a genuinely good person.
“He was a good citizen and would do whatever he was called to do for the town, so he was the first recipient for his own award. He volunteered for everything, he was an active member on our board for 36 years, he helped organize everything and did the finances,” he said.
Despite sending all of the volunteers home at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sullivan said Anderson continued to find ways to help the Senior Center.
“When COVID hit, all of our volunteers were sent home because many of them are seniors. When we closed and sent the staff home, Lisa found out that we were still handing out meals and just showed up and she never left. She just embodied that good citizen, helping our seniors in the worst time that we’ve seen,” she said.
After receiving a request to help a women take out her trash and get her mail, Sullivan said Anderson continued to do it well after the initial request was made.
“She’s also still going to someone’s house twice a week to bring their trash out and bring their mail to them. I didn’t even know she was still continuing to do that. That’s who she is, it’s not like she’s telling me every week she is going to see that lady, she’s just doing it,” she said.
Even before the pandemic, Sullivan said Anderson has been a huge help for seniors in the community.
“Lisa was always asking what she could do to help our seniors. She came to our events and with her work through the fire department she was always thinking of things for the seniors that would make her life better,” she said.
For this year’s award, Sullivan said the council waived the age requirement that required the recipient to be at least 65 years old.
In a normal year, Sullivan said they would host a ceremony for the award but that is on hold until the pandemic ends.
“We would normally have a reception where the Select Board would come and present her a certificate, we have a plaque that we engrave her name on with Herb Pace’s picture on it, we would also get a smaller award to hand her to keep. We can’t do that this year, but when things open up and if we’re able to do it, I would love to honor her in a big way,” she said.
Sullivan added that she wanted to thank Anderson for everything she has done and continues to do for Southwick’s seniors.
“We thank her for her service to our community and I know I can always count on her, which is a huge relief for me,” she said.