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June 19, 2008
HAUPPAUGE ATTORNEY RECEIVES NEW YORK STATE BAR
ASSOCIATION’S 2008 ROOT/STIMSON AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY
SERVICE
Lawyer cited for exceptional community service
work with children and homeless
ALBANY—The New York State Bar
Association announced today that Charles C. Russo of Hauppauge (Russo,
Karl, Widmaier & Cordano PLLC) is the recipient of the 2008
Root/Stimson Award, which honors a lawyer who
has demonstrated outstanding commitment to community service. Russo will
receive the award on June 21 at the House of Delegates meeting
in Cooperstown .
Russo is being honored for his outstanding efforts as the founder of
Christmas Magic, as well as his work as chairman of the Board at Hope
House Ministries and several other charitable organizations. Russo
received dozens of letters in support of his
nomination.
“Charles Russo’s
extraordinary community service carries on the fine tradition set by
Elihu Root and Henry L. Stimson. He has worked selflessly to improve and
make a difference in the lives of children,” said President
Bernice K. Leber of New
York(Arent Fox LLP).
“He is an inspiring role model for the children he serves and the
legal community.”
“The outpouring of support Russo
received is indicative of how many people he has touched over the years
through his various service endeavors,” said Paul Michael Hassett
of Buffalo (Brown & Kelly LLP), chair of the Root/Stimson Award
Subcommittee of the Committee on the Annual Award, which sponsored the
competition. “We are thrilled to honor this man and his
exceptional efforts.”
Russo received his undergraduate
degree from the University of Vermont and
earned his law degree from Hofstra Law
School.
He has been in private practice since 1980.
For more than 20 years, Russo has
been the chief fund raiser and “man in the red suit” for the
Christmas Magic project, which he founded. The program enhances the
holiday spirit for children and families in
crisis. During the fall and early
winter each year, Russo works tirelessly to raise the necessary funds to
provide Christmas to thousands of underprivileged kids and their
families living in various shelters and programs
throughout Suffolk
County.
He is noted for touching the lives of thousands of children by providing
them with a positive memory and loving picture of Christmas. It is
estimated that each year Christmas Magic serves more than 5,000
families.
Russo’s community service extends
to Hope House Ministries, a large organization providing emergency
housing, counseling, and other essential programs to homeless and
at-risk Long Islanders, including individuals, families and youth. He is
also chair of the Nassau-Suffolk Coalition for the Homeless, where he
led the effort in collecting food items and clothing for homeless Long
Islanders.
The Root/Stimson Award is named in
honor of former Association Presidents Elihu Root and Henry L. Stimson,
who selflessly gave much of their time and effort to community service
activities. The award, created in 1974, is presented to a lawyer
admitted to practice in New
Yorkwho is actively
involved in volunteer community service work.
The 74,000-member New York State
Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers
in New Yorkand
the largest voluntary state bar association in the
nation. Founded in 1876, NYSBA programs and
activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice
system for more than 130 years.
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