Seventeen young adults from across the county were recognized earlier this month at the 37th annual Putnam Youth Bureau Awards Dinner.

The teens were lauded for not only being good citizens but outstanding students and community leaders.

The 2022 recipients included: Adam Barti from Putnam Valley, Rory Charbonneau from Brewster, Emma Daniels from Mahopac, Christopher Donohue from Brewster, Sabrina Downey from Carmel, Franceska Drejaj from Brewster, Kaylie Ann Hammond from Mahopac, Austin Harf from Carmel, Stephen Kovaleski from Brewster, Zachary Kuttruf from Putnam Valley, Rebekah Lazar and Emily Pontillo, both from Mahopac; Megan Renzi and Emily Rusinko, two young women from Brewster; Nicholas Sodano from Carmel, Kevin Whitmarsh from Mahopac and Nathaniel Wolfe from Carmel.

The 2022 James Reitz Adult Award was presented to Laura Johnson of Carmel while Richard Reinhardt of Brewster was the recipient of the Youth Board Lifetime Achievement Award.

Whitmarsh made special mention of the late Judge Reitz during his remarks and the impact the man had on his life: “Tonight’s awards stem from giving it your all and no one person embodied that mindset of giving your all more than Judge Reitz. I knew Judge Reitz personally and looked up to him. He was my hero. Judge Reitz was charismatic, intelligent and above all—an amazing human being who was a natural leader and a man I aspire to become.”

Reitz died suddenly while on the bench on Putnam County Day in June 2019.

Whitmarsh also thanked the judge’s wife, Barbara, for “inspiring me to find the good in all people.”

Barbara Reitz replied: “My husband’s legacy will live on forever.”

By Eric Gross

The Putnam County Courier