Dan and Ann Louise Sullivan and Kevin Olivieri recognized with Milton’s M. Joseph Manning Award

Kevin Olivieri and Dan and Ann Louise Sullivan have been selected by the East Milton Neighborhood Association to receive the 2022 and 2023 M. Joseph Manning Awards for Community Service — the Association’s prestigious volunteer award for community service.

The Honorable M. Joseph Manning dedicated much of his life to public service and enhancing the lives of Milton residents. Mr. Manning served as our State Representative for 30 years, but more important than the many elected offices that he held, it was his public service to our community that prompted the East Milton Neighborhood Association (EMNA) to annually present this award in his honor. Past winners of the Manning Award are M. Joseph Manning (posthumously), Katherine Hayes Dunphy, John Fleming, Pastor Shelly Davis, Heather Bergin, Edward Duffy (posthumously), and Bob Sweeney.

Mr. Olivieri has served as the President of Milton Girls Softball for more than 13 years and has been a coach and member of the Board for the past 20 years. Milton Girls Softball is a thriving organization with almost 450 players and 34 teams in grades K-8. The program also provides a summer league, fall hitting clinics and a winter skills program which have contributed to improved quality of play. Under his leadership, the program is focused on providing players with an experience that fosters positive self-esteem, team spirit and individual growth through personal achievement and team play. The league also continuously works to improve the safety and quality of our town fields and provide equipment to support the safety and development of players. Mr. Olivieri has successfully grown the program while keeping the mission focused on supporting young players. With Title IX reaching its 50th anniversary in 2022, the EMNA felt it was fitting to recognize Mr. Olivieri for all his years of service to the young women of Milton.

Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan have served both My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) and the parish of St Agatha’s for many decades. MBK provides unconditional care in donations of furniture, food, provisions and more to families that are struggling due to financial hardship, tragedy, or illness. Their work is carried out with dignity and humanity. Perhaps their greatest act of kindness and generosity comes each year in the days that fall between Thanksgiving and Christmas. During this time, the staff and volunteers of MBK open their doors to personal requests from thousands of families around the Boston area and beyond. The MBK “Christmas Assistance” program is the largest holiday giving effort in Massachusetts, managing requests from over 4,000 families and nearly 14,000 recipients. This annual project requires the coordination and effort of hundreds of volunteers to shop, wrap, bag and deliver to these deserving families. Two of the main coordinators and contributors to this enormous charitable endeavor are Dan and Ann Louise Sullivan. For their decades of service to the families served by My Brother’s Keeper and St. Agatha’s parish, the EMNA will honor Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan with the 2023 M. Joseph Manning Award for Community Service.

The East Milton Neighborhood Association commends Mr. Olivieri and Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan for all they have done to make Milton a great place to raise a family.

Ceremony to be held May 21

They will be honored during the dedication ceremony for Manning Community Park (East Milton Square Deck) on May 21st. The ceremony will begin at 4:00 p.m. We hope many of you can join us to celebrate these remarkable members of our community!