Griffo Presents State Commendation Awards To Community Leaders

State Senator Joseph Griffo presented New York State Commendation Awards to several community members on Friday.

Griffo says the award is a way for the Senate to recognize exceptional people who have made a lasting contribution to the community.

"The individuals honored today deserve to be recognized for the exceptional work they do in their communities and throughout the region," Griffo said. "Each honoree has shown remarkable commitment to make the Mohawk Valley a better place for all."

The winners included Karen Carey, Market President of Townsquare Media Utica.

"It is an honor and privilege to receive this recognition from the State Senate. At Townsquare Media Utica," said Carey. "Our goal is to serve our local community and to use our platform to make a positive difference. I am humbled to be in the company of so many other great community leaders in the Mohawk Valley."

Other winners included:

Tom Clark, president of Mac-Clark Restaurants
Adolfo Cova, radio personality and Latino community advocate
Donna Donovan, former president and publisher of the Observer-Dispatch
Frank Giotto, founder and president of Fiber Instrument Sales
Dr. Ajay Goel, local physician
Dietra Harvey, community advocate
Judy Ingalls, Boilermaker Road Race special events director
Sal Longo, founder and CEO of Northern Safety and Industrial
Howard mettelman, retired superintendent of Oneida-Herkimer Madison BOCES
Dalla Pray, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt and JROTC instructor
Tom Sinott, President of the Bank of Utica
Rick Weltz, Radio Personality who served as News Director at WKAl in Rome

Honorees received a personalized plaque and a commendation coin as part of the ceremony.

Today's ceremony was held at the Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute in Utica.

LOOK: What are the odds that these 50 totally random events will happen to you?

Stacker took the guesswork out of 50 random events to determine just how likely they are to actually happen. They sourced their information from government statistics, scientific articles, and other primary documents. Keep reading to find out why expectant parents shouldn't count on due dates -- and why you should be more worried about dying on your birthday than living to 100 years old.