For only the second time in the history of the Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award, a husband and wife team have been selected for the Valley’s highest honor for community service.
Nicholas and Ernestine (More affectionately known as Nick and Ernie) Luise have been synonymous with community service in the Valley for over 20 years and they are being recognized for an incredible list of accomplishments that has made their adopted home a better place to live and work.
The Award will be presented at Valley United Way’s 45th Annual Meeting and Recognition Dinner on April 23 at Molto Bene Italian Kitchen in Ansonia. Reservations may be made by clicking here.
Jack Walsh, President & C.O.O. of Valley United Way said, “The selection committee was incredibly impressed with the indelible mark that Nick and Ernie have left on the Valley and beyond with the wide range of programs that they have supported through the years.”
“Though both of them were born, raised and educated in New Jersey, we have been incredibly fortunate that they chose the Valley as their home and set to work their magic here,” Walsh added.
Over the course of the last 20 years, Nick has found time to serve on the Board of Directors for Birmingham Group Health Services where he was the first chair of the Holiday Gala, the Valley YMCA, Hewitt Foundation, and VNA of South Central Connecticut.
He has also managed to serve the City of Shelton on their Ethics Commission. Nick is also currently serving as the Treasurer and board member for Rotary District 7980 Gift of Life and the International Board of Gift of Life which provides life-saving cardiac, pediatric surgeries for children under 18 yrs.
Ernie has been every bit as active. She is a member of the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club where she served as President (first female president in Club history). Her Rotary service extended to a term in the prestigious post as District Governor (only the second in the Club’s history), and she recently co-chaired the committee that developed the beautiful new Pavilion along the Shelton Riverwalk.
Ernie also served on the Birmingham Group Health Services Foundation Board for 18 years including time as and was Vice Chair. She co-chaired the very successful Bowl-a-thon for many years.
She is also the past Board Chair and 13 year member at TEAM, Inc. and a former Board member at Valley United Way. She has also been heavily involved with the Boys & Girls Club, the Women Making a Difference Committee and Julia Day Nursery. The City of Shelton has benefitted from her service on the Municipal Parking Authority.
Nick and Ernie’s humanitarian efforts have extended well beyond the Valley. They have been active with Rotary International Peace Centers program that educates scholars in conflict prevention and resolution. They have traveled to Mexico to participate in the literacy initiative Project Amigo whose goal is to keep kids in school.
Keeping with the education theme, they have also supported the construction of a 3 room school in a rural village in Nicaragua and furnished a computer lab.
While serving as District Governor Ernie helped Rotary International’s efforts to institute a clean water project in the Kolar region of India.
The bio-sand filter program that Nick and Ernie helped spread with their extensive fundraising efforts assisted over 400 government schools and several villages to develop clean drinking water as part of the South Asia Pure Water Initiative. Their fundraising efforts for Gift of Life have helped “fix hearts” of over 1,000 children in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Flynn Award is by no means the only community recognition that they have received. Ernie is a past recipient of Valley United Way’s Volunteer Center Sharon Bryce Holly Community Hero Award, Parent Child Resource Center’s Joseph Pagliaro, Sr. Award and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Gold Seal Award.
She also has numerous commendations through her Rotary service at the local, regional and international level. She has been the Derby-Shelton Rotarian of the Year and winner of the Donald A. Adams Award from Rotary District 7980. The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International honored her with the Citation for Meritorious Service and the Board of Directors of Rotary International presented her with the Service Above Self Award.
Among Nick’s many awards are the YMCA’s Richard Nicolari, Sr. Award and Parent Child Resource Center’s Joseph Pagliaro, Sr. Award. He is also the recipient of a prestigious Gold seal Award from the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Nick is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Additional studies included time at Michigan State and Penn State.
Following his retirement as Vice President of United Parcel Service after a distinguished career, he was recruited and served for an additional three years with EDS (Electronic Data Systems). Now fully retired, he enjoys his family, community activities, and golfing with friends.
Ernie’s background was in education, and she held various teaching positions in New Jersey, Missouri, Massachusetts and Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Montclair State College, with certification in History and Biology.
When she retired from education, Ernie spent ten years as Administrative Assistant to the Shelton Economic Development Corporation during a vibrant period of growth for the City.
Nick and Ernie will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this June, and they are quite proud of daughter Jennifer, son-in-law Derrick Champagne and granddaughter Aimee.
Valley United Way is pleased to have such a dynamic and caring couple join the distinguished list of talented and dedicated people who have done so much for the Valley.
The award is named for Derby native Charles H. Flynn, a former editor of The Evening Sentinel who was active in many philanthropic groups in the lower Naugatuck Valley.