2019 Community Champions Announced
The Hudson Headwaters Health Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce Celine Racine Paquette, Ed.D. of Champlain and John Bartlett of Ticonderoga as Hudson Headwaters’ 2019 Community Champions. They will be honored at the 14th Annual Community Champions Celebration on Sunday, September 22nd at The Sagamore Resort on Lake George.
The Community Champion distinction honors the individuals, families and businesses that help make our region a healthy and dynamic place to live, work and play. Past honorees include Senator Betty Little; Kris Duffy, SUNY Adirondack; Tom Murphy, Glens Falls National Bank; Max Yurenda, Double H Ranch; Darren Woods, Seagle Music Colony; Cali Brooks, Adirondack Foundation; The Dake Family/Stewart’s Shops; and Dr. John Rugge, the founder of Hudson Headwaters.
Celine Racine Paquette is a Hudson Headwaters Health Network Board Member and a well-known community leader in the Champlain region, where her family has lived for generations. Celine is a former school administrator, insurance agency owner and president, and Clinton County legislator. She is the founder and President of the Samuel de Champlain History Center in Champlain and has served in many additional ways, including on the boards of the CVPH Medical Center and St. Michael’s College and as a Trustee of the State University of New York.
“Celine is a steadfast advocate for the health of her community and was instrumental in helping to make the new Champlain Family Health center such a success. Since the new facility opened in July 2017, the practice has seen 3,112 new patients and is one of our fastest growing sites,” said Tucker Slingerland, M.D., CEO of Hudson Headwaters. “It’s one thing to build a new health center, it’s quite another to be welcomed and embraced by the community surrounding it. Thanks to Celine’s leadership, we were able to accomplish both.”
John Bartlett is being honored for his commitment to the vitality of Ticonderoga where he serves on numerous boards. As past Board President of the Ticonderoga Kiwanis Club, he founded, organized, and raised funding for the Ticonderoga Area BackPack Program which provides local children with food when school is not in session. Since launching in 2013, the program has grown to include seven schools and a summer program resulting in about 51,000 meals served annually.
“John’s commitment to his community is a real-life example of taking action on population health, as in health beyond the exam room,” explained Hudson Headwaters Health Foundation President Jim Himoff. “Food insecurity can affect every aspect of a person’s, especially a child’s, life. It truly takes a vision and leaders like John to show us the way.”
The 2019 Community Champions Celebration will take place at The Sagamore Resort on Sunday, September 22, 4-7pm. The evening will begin with the program and awards ceremony in The Sagamore Conference Center followed by a lakeside dinner reception with stationed cuisine and open seating. Event proceeds benefit Hudson Headwaters, a nonprofit organization.
The Hudson Headwaters Health Foundation was founded in 2005 to further the mission of the Hudson Headwaters Health Network, a nonprofit organization. Learn more at hhhn.org/support/.