Fund Created by the Friends of the Allegany Arc

(Dec. 2017) The Friends of the Allegany Arc have created a new endowment fund at the Allegany County Area Foundation. The annual earnings from this fund will be used to fund the new Joseph Damiano Memorial Direct Support Professional of the Year Award.

This new award has been created in memory of Joseph Damiano, whose Direct Support Professionals enriched both his life, as well as his family’s, by demonstrating an exemplary level of performance over the course of their relationship and consistently demonstrating commitment to improving the quality of Joseph’s life.  When Joseph passed away in 1984, Direct Support and Community Resources for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities were still in their infancy.  He would be gratified by the professionalism and support that are available today.  Through this award the Friends of the Arc will acknowledge the invaluable work of a direct support professional who provides services within Allegany County, New York, and consistently demonstrates excellence, creativity and commitment in providing supports to people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

To nominate an individual for the Joseph Damiano Memorial Direct Support Professional of the Year Award the nominee must provide direct support, supervision and assistance to a person with an intellectual or other developmental disability living in Allegany County, New York, and served by Allegany Arc. The nominee must also be a current member of Allegany Arc.  Nomination forms will be available on the Allegany Arc web site at: https://alleganyarc.org.  The first recipient of this award will be recognized at the Allegany Arc’s Annual Membership Dinner in May of 2018.

Those who would like to contrbute to this new fund may donate online ( by selecting the Joseph Damiano Memorial Direct Support Professional of the Year Award Fund on the pull down menu) or make a check payable to: The Allegany County Area Foundation, 6087 State Route 19N, Ste. 180, Belmont. NY 14813. Please write : The Joseph Damiano Fund on the memo line.

If you would like more information on how you can create a scholarship fund or a community grant fund to honor a loved one in our county, please contact the Allegany County Area Foundation at 585-808-8444 or send an e-mail to: director@alleganycountyareafoundation.org.

In the picture: Joseph Damiano