The Arc of Katy Board of Directors is pleased to recognize Marie Tsakiris with our 2022 Ann Davis Founders Award and Judy Colabella and Walt Palen as our 2022 Volunteers of the Year.
The awardees will be recognized at The Arc of Katy 2022 Achieve with Us Gala on Friday, Sept. 23 at Beckendorff Farms in Katy. Our annual benefit event will raise funds for day programs and other resources that we provide for teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
These three individuals have helped to make a reality The Arc of Katy’s vision of establishing a permanent facility. Their contributions and sweat equity are helping us to sustainably deliver high quality, affordable programs that provide learning, skills development, social enrichment, recreation, and community service opportunities for people with IDD in Fort Bend, Harris, and Waller counties.
2022 Ann Davis Founders Award Honoree Marie Tsakiris
Marie Tsakiris
Marie, a registered nurse, community volunteer and property manager, made possible the donation of The Arc of Katy’s new facility. We are pleased to present Marie with the Ann Davis Founder’s Award for her generous contribution to our organization and for her ongoing work to provide opportunities for people with special needs and their families to be engaged and active members of our community.
A Michigan native, Marie relocated to Texas in 2004 and lives in Katy with her husband Louis and son Alec. She began working with youth with medical and special needs and their families as a volunteer for Friday Night Friends at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Katy. When the H2O program for teens and adults with special needs was established with St. Peter’s UMC as its meeting place, Marie began working as its registered nurse. She now serves as the registered nurse for the church’s recently established Special Needs Ministry.
Marie explained that through her work at the church she learned about other programs available to youth and adults with special needs in the Katy area. After hearing that The Arc of Katy lost use of its original program location following Hurricane Harvey, Marie and her family decided to support the organization in securing a permanent home.
The Tsakiris family through efforts of the San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Chairperson Marie Flickinger also are donors to that college’s Neurodiversity Program.
2022 Volunteers of the Year Judy Colabella and Walt Palen
Judy, a semi-retired healthcare professional, and Walt, who recently retired after 47 years with the energy industry, have been engaged with The Arc of Katy since 2009 when their now-31-year-old son Ben enrolled as a summer participant while attending the program for students with special needs at Taylor High School.
“My family and I are very pleased to help The Arc of Katy and are proud to see how happy the participants and staff are in their new building,” Marie said.
As a nonprofit organization, we greatly appreciate the generosity of Marie and her family as the facility they built and donated to us will help us sustainably deliver high quality, accessible and affordable opportunities for more people with IDD.
Walt has carried out several different volunteer roles with The Arc of Katy, most recently taking the lead in planning, design and set up of our new program facility located at 934 Jordan Ranch Boulevard in Brookshire. In recent months he often has been seen working with other volunteers to install equipment and furnishings and build a new storage and work shed and garden area there.
Meanwhile, Judy has been supporting The Arc of Katy’s online program started in 2020 to keep participants engaged who were unable to join in person because of Covid-19 health precautions and helped to establish the day program’s new butterfly raising project. She also has volunteered in our Be Strong aquatics program.
In addition, Judy and Walt support The Arc of Katy’s monthly social programs including leading movie nights for teens and adults with IDD and have helped deliver the day program’s recent woodcraft projects and popup craft sales.
Judy and Walt have volunteered in the Katy area since moving here almost 25 years ago with Ben and his older brother Jeffrey. In addition to The Arc of Katy, they supported the Taylor High School performing arts programs, the Katy Wolf Pack Special Olympics team, H2O at St. Peter’s UMC, and YMCA Camp Cinco.
Walt explained that he is pleased to volunteer because “If it wasn’t for programs like this, people like Judy and I would not have been able to work and carry on our careers. The Arc of Katy provides fun, safe and healthy day programs and social events that are important to our children and to our families.”
Noting that their family settled and stayed in Katy because of the excellent school system, Judy said, “Now, we stay in Katy, Texas, because of The Arc of Katy. The participants are all Ben’s buddies. Our involvement keeps us young and engaged. Volunteering with The Arc of Katy is fun for us and is good for Ben and the other participants. The Arc of Katy has become our community and family.”
Please join us at our Gala to help fund ongoing programs of The Arc of Katy and to celebrate the good work of our honorees and others who work to make this a great community for our participants and their families.