Christina Crowley received this year’s Maureen Taggart Community Service Award, which since 1985, has been presented annually by the Recreation Commission to a high school student, public or private, who is a resident of Concord or Carlisle demonstrating a loving and giving spirit through voluntary service in the community.
Crowley has been volunteering her time on Sundays to support the Beede Center’s adaptive swim program for seven years. In this capacity, she has served as a lead instructor for not only the swimmers, but for the volunteers.
What has impressed us most about Crowley is her unwavering commitment to see her students succeed. In her own words she, “is inspired by these kids and it brings her so much joy to be able to teach them.”
Teaching children with disabilities is not for everyone; it takes a special, patient soul to do this work. There are challenging behaviors, communication barriers, sensory sensitivities, and mobility challenges but all the while, she has stayed with the program. Crowley has dedicated her time and energy to getting to know these swimmers and, in some cases, has grown up beside them.
Crowley meets each child where they’re at and spends hours working to build the skills and trust necessary for them to be safe, confident swimmers. As she prepares to leave for college in the fall, she has worked hard to train the team of volunteers to take over the program ensuring it is a seamless transition for the children and families involved. While Crowley says that she is inspired by the swimmers, we, as an organization, are inspired by her.
A feature of this award is that the recipient has the privilege of designating a deserving organization to receive a financial grant in Maureen Taggart’s name. Crowley has chosen Open Table, an organization that is committed to ending hunger in our local community by providing healthy food in ways that respect the dignity and diversity of those served.
Congratulations to Christina for this well-deserved honor. We wish her the best of luck at Northeastern University this fall and are so proud to have had her as part of our Beede Center family.
Maureen Taggart was a dedicated Concord Recreation Department employee for many years. She was passionate about giving back to the local community and volunteered frequently.
