SOUTH FALLSBURG – The SYDA Foundation has announced that Gary Silverman of Ferndale, New York, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 SYDA Foundation Community Service Award. This prestigious award includes a certificate of merit for outstanding service to the Sullivan County community and a monetary gift of $6,000 to be distributed by the recipient to the charities of their choice.

Since 1986, the SYDA Foundation has sponsored this annual award to recognize and honor local citizens for outstanding and enduring service to the Sullivan County community. The selection committee, comprised of past award recipients and local civic leaders, chose Gary Silverman to receive this year’s award in recognition of his many years of service as a teacher, leader, and active volunteer committed to the well-being and education of young people.

Gary has lived in Sullivan County since his family moved from Brooklyn when he was 5 years old, and he became interested in science as a student at Monticello Middle School. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology Secondary Education from SUNY Oswego and a Masters in Biology Secondary Education from SUNY New Paltz, Gary became a science teacher at Monticello Middle School (now Robert J. Kaiser Middle School) where he taught for the next 34 years.

Gary was the longtime advisor for numerous clubs at Monticello Middle School, including the Environmental Club, Media Club and Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD). He raised funds for and organized many class trips in which the students learned about environmental stewardship and participated in team building activities.

Over his summer breaks, Gary spent 12 years teaching gardening and woodworking to residents with developmental disabilities at the Hebrew Academy for Special Children (Camp HASC).

For the past 14 years, Gary has been a member of the Liberty Rotary Club and currently serves as the club’s co-president. In this role, he leads and supports the many initiatives of the Liberty Rotary Club, from raising money for scholarships for students for college and other worthy causes, to delivering food and organizing dinners for those in need, to providing after school activities for the area’s youth. Gary also takes on essential behind-the-scenes tasks for the club, including designing and maintaining the website.

“His efforts and love for other human beings and his community are surpassed only by his humility, “a member of the selection committee shared about Gary. “He connects with people and sincerely cares for their situation. His impact on our community has been, and continues to be, tremendous.”

Gary currently teaches science at John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen. He lives in Ferndale with his wife, Hope, and they have a daughter, Ashley.

SYDA Foundation Community Service Award presentation will take place on Wednesday, November 20th, at 1 pm at the Sullivan County Government Center, Legislative Meeting Room at 100 North Street, Monticello, NY 12701.

Everyone is warmly invited to attend.