Shelton resident Ned Miller may admit to a fear of heights, but he clearly has no fear of volunteering for many nonprofits in the Valley.
On Tuesday Valley United Way presented Miller with the Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award, the Valley’s oldest and most prestigious community service award.
He is the 46th recipient of the award, named for the late editor of The Evening Sentinel. Flynn was a founder of the Valley United Fund, precursor to the Valley United Way.
Miller has attended the Indianapolis 500 several times, and he said it was there that he once tried to combat his fear of heights by bungee jumping.
“I thought it would cure it, but it didn’t work,” Miller joked after the annual meeting and recognition dinner at the Inn at Villa Bianca in Seymour.
The event drew 190 people, including representatives of social service agencies and area businesses.
Miller’s receipt of the award marks the first time a father-son duo has received the honor. His late father, Edward W. Miller, received the Flynn award in 1979.
Michael Wynne, executive director of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Parent Child Resource Center, presented the award to Miller.
“I’ve known Ned for 19 years, and he always has time to help out,” Wynne said. “He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty.”
Miller has been a member of the PCRC board of directors since 2011.
“He leads by example,” Wynne said. “PCRC and the Valley have benefitted from Ned’s time, talent, treasure, and friendship.”
Miller said it was difficult to accept such a prestigious award. “I feel I should give it to the people who work with me,” he said.
Miller related a story from some 40 years ago when he started his volunteering with the Valley United Way. He was assigned to go up and down Main Street, Ansonia, to speak to shopkeepers about the importance of supporting the Valley United Way.
One merchant, who Miller did not name, immediately said he would make a donation. Miller recalled being thrilled with the response, until the man opened the cash register and handed him $2.
“At first I thought it was a joke,” he said. It wasn’t.
When Miller returned to his office, he said, he looked at the “pile of non-donors,” and realized if each of them had given him a similar amount that would have made a difference in his fundraising. He said he returned the following year and the same shopkeeper gave him another $2 for the campaign.
Click here to read more about Miller’s professional achievements and volunteer work.
Valley United Way President and C.O.O. Jack Walsh presented a new award, the Mildred A. Davey Partner Agency Award, to TEAM, Inc., a community action agency in Derby.
Davey, a lifelong Shelton resident, died in 2014. She was a Valley United Way board member, a leader in the establishment of the Valley Council for Health & Human Services, and a trustee for the Osborne Homestead in Derby, among other activities.
“She left an incredible legacy and bequest,” Walsh said, and the award is named in her memory.
David Morgan, President and CEO of TEAM, Inc., said receiving the award was humbling.
“Any time the agency is combined with the Valley United Way that’s a golden day,” he said.
