Thomas To Receive Flynn Humanitarian Award

Prominent Valley lawyer Dominick J. Thomas Jr. has been named as the 2010 winner of the Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian award for a life time of community involvement and achievement in the Valley. 

A Derby native, he is an attorney/owner at the law firm of Cohen & Thomas in Derby, where he has practiced since 1977.

Dominick has an incredible record of volunteer leadership in the Valley and beyond. He has been a member of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Boys & Girls Club for 30 years and is a past president of the club. 

He has also been a member of the Birmingham Group Health Services for 27 years and has served as their General Counsel.

He has a long standing relationship with the Valley Association of Retarded Children and Adults (VARCA), and served on their board for 17 years. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors at Valley United Way and has served on the campaign cabinet for the Annual Community Fund Campaign effort.

His involvements have also included service on the Board of Trustees for the Archdiocese of Hartford Catholic Charities/Catholic Family Services. 

From 2001 – 2005 he was a member of the Katharine Matthies Foundation Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Valley Advisory Committee of the Community Foundation fo Greater New Haven.

Not only has Dominick been involved with local nonprofits, he has also been involved with civic government in twice serving as a member of the Oxford Charter Commission. He was also the Town Counsel in Oxford on three separate occasions. 

He currently is a member of the Town of Woodbridge Board of Ethics.

His professional involvements include the Valley Bar Association where he is a Past President, the Connecticut Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice.

This is not the first time that Dominick has been recognized his work in the community. In 1991, The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce presented him with the Gold Seal Award and in 2005 the Connecticut Bar Association presented him with a Distinguished Volunteer Service Award. In 2006 the Boys & Girls Club presented him with the Raymond P. Lavietes Award.

Dominick is a graduate of the College of Holy Cross, and received this law degree from the University of Virginia. He is also an Honor Graduate of the United States Army Judge Advocate General Schools. He served as a Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and a Captain with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Corps.

He is married to Sally M. Thomas and has three children, Christopher, Gregory and Scott and five grandchildren.

Jack Walsh, President and C.O.O. at Valley United Way said, Dominick has been an incredibly dedicated volunteer leader in the Valley ever since he returned from military service. He has been very generous with his time and expertise, and the community is a much better place because of his contributions”.

The award will be presented at Valley United Ways Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner on April 27.

The award is named for the late Mr. Flynn, who was, at the time of his death, editor of The Evening Sentinel, a daily newspaper that was the main source of community information in the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Mr. Flynn had also been one of the founders of the Valley United Fund.

He had been president of the Ansonia Community Chest. In 1968, he led that organization into a merger with the Derby-Shelton Community Chest and the Seymour United Fund which resulted in the formation of what is now known as the Valley United Way. The award has been presented annually since 1971.

Valley United Way is the leading philanthropic resource for the Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton matching the needs of the community and the interests of donors to improve the quality of life in the community. United Way supports and creates initiatives addressing youth, families and people in crisis. 

Each year Valley United Way funds programs and organizations that make a measurable difference in the lives of people living and working in the Valley.

For more information, visit the Valley United Way’s Web site.

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