The Volunteer Center of United Way of Western CT Honors Dan Sheehan, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Genworth at Annual Heart of Gold Event
The Volunteer Center of United Way of Western Connecticut will host its annual Heart of Gold Award Dinner on Wednesday, May 6th at the Stamford Marriott from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. The Volunteer Center will honor Dan Sheehan, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at Genworth for his leadership on employee volunteerism.
Dan Sheehan has been selected as this year’s Heart of Gold recipient for the many ways in which Genworth and its employees make an impact on our community through volunteerism. Under his leadership, Genworth has distinguished itself as a company determined to promote and encourage the spirit of volunteerism. Genworth has:
- a month dedicated to employee volunteerism;
- employees serving on multiple non-profit boards across the community;
- employees volunteering on a regular basis at non-profits across Stamford as readers, tutors and mentors;
- regular employee drives for donated I-Pads that are provided to the Smith House in Stamford to be used by seniors living with dementia for a Music & Memory program.
“Dan and his colleagues at Genworth are the ideal recipients of the Heart of Gold Award,” said Kim Morgan, CEO of United Way of Western Connecticut. “Under Dan’s leadership, Genworth’s culture promotes employee engagement in the community – through one day service projects and on-going commitments through non-profit board service. The City of Stamford is privileged to have a corporate partner as engaged in the community as Genworth is.”
Dan has been with Genworth for the past 16 years. He assumed his current role in April 2012 and has the responsibility for managing Genworth’s $75 billion investment portfolio. Dan is a member of United Way of Western Connecticut’s Stamford Community Council.
The Heart of Gold Award was established in 1995 to recognize and encourage business leaders of today and tomorrow to build employee volunteerism into their strategic business plans. The Volunteer Center of United Way of Western Connecticut is committed to celebrating the importance of business leadership in building healthy communities through volunteerism.
The Volunteer Center of United Way of Western Connecticut is proud to award its 2015 Heart of Gold Scholarship to Bridget Smith, a compassionate and accomplished student at AITE High School in Stamford. The $5,000 scholarship is awarded annually to support the continuing education of an outstanding local student volunteer. Bridget’s commitment to volunteerism has truly made a meaningful difference in our community and thereby distinguished her as the 2015 scholarship recipient.
As a member of Girl Scout Troop 50202 for the last 12 years, Bridget demonstrated leadership and pursued the highest level of Girl Scout awards. Bridget’s Gold Award project, which requires a minimum of 80 hours of work, focused on educating children and families throughout Fairfield County on emergency and disaster awareness and preparedness. Bridget created a hands-on exhibit which was showcased at Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk. In addition to her individual award projects, Bridget has consistently volunteered in her community through Girl Scouts including teaching and leading younger girls as a role model and mentor, visiting nursing homes and assisted living facilities, serving at the New Covenant House soup kitchen, and organizing collections for the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County.
The Volunteer Center of United Way of Western Connecticut seeks nominations in late fall for its annual scholarship from local schools, nonprofit organizations, religious institutions and businesses. Its Scholarship Selection Committee reviews and evaluates all nominations based on, among other factors, the nominee’s commitment to volunteerism, leadership skills and a personal letter. Past recipients of the scholarship have gone on to study at Harvard University, Bucknell University, University of North Carolina and Loyola Marymount University