John Belanich named Port Chamber’s ‘Citizen of the Year’

The Island Now
John Belanich (Photo courtesy of Julie Meer Harnick).

The Community Chest of Port Washington has selected John Belanich as the 2018 Citizen of the Year for his remarkable contributions to the Port community. He will be honored at a ceremony to be held on Monday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Lapham Room of the Port Washington Public Library.

The Community Chest’s Citizen of the Year Award recognizes “a lifetime of outstanding volunteer service on behalf of the citizens of Port Washington” and has been awarded annually since 1969. The Citizen of the Year ceremony and reception are free and all members of the community are invited to attend.

John Belanich has been a Port Washington resident for more than 60 years who is a superb example of the Community Chest’s motto: “The People of Port Helping the People of Port.” For close to 50 years, he has been devoted to the betterment of our community and to the welfare of Port Washington residents in need.

John served on the board of Littig House Community Center for 15 years and was its thoughtful and caring chairman from 1997-2002. He advanced the Littig House mission on many fronts and was a voice for the Harbor Homes and Cow Bay communities. In the 1990s and through 2003, John served in many roles and was a board member, officer, and member of the executive committee of the Community Chest. He was unreservedly devoted to helping all Community Chest grantees and thoughtfully volunteered for several of them (Twin Pines and Community Action Council) in addition to his Community Chest board service.

For John, his most meaningful commitment has been his person-to-person service to individuals in need. Since the early 1970s and until today, John has been very active with the Port Washington conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, located at St. Peter of Alcantara Church, providing help to his Port Washington neighbors who are in need and suffering. All that know him, attest to his patience, compassion, and generosity of time and spirit. The Community Chest of Port Washington is proud to honor John Belanich for his lifetime of service as the 2018 Citizen of the Year.

In 2018, Community Chest grants are being awarded to 26 nonprofit organizations that provide a wide range of vital services to residents of all ages — 3 months to 99 years old. The Community Chest also provides office space at below-market rates to nonprofit organizations helping them achieve their missions.

To honor Mr. Belanich and to raise money for its grantee organizations, the Community Chest prepares a journal and invites community members to support the journal. For more information about the event, or to RSVP, contact the Community Chest at (516) 767-2121 or info@portchest.org.

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