Rhode Island Twins Receive
MDA National Achievement Award
TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 4, 2005 – Twin sisters Kelly Buonaccorsi
and Kristen Connors of Cranston, R.I., have been named recipients of
the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s 2006 National Personal Achievement
Award.
The award is part of MDA’s program of recognizing the achievements
and community involvement of people across the country who are affected
by neuromuscular diseases.
The award is scheduled to be announced during the national broadcast
of the MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon on Labor Day weekend. The sisters will
appear on the Rhode Island broadcast of the Telethon on WLNE, Channel
6.
Buonaccorsi and Connors, 33, were chosen for the national honor from
MDA’s state award recipients across the country. Through their
jobs and volunteer activities, both sisters are leaders in efforts to
improve quality of life for people with disabilities in their state.
“We’re privileged to honor these two talented and accomplished
young women,” MDA President & CEO Robert Ross said. “In
their volunteer efforts for MDA, and in their professional and personal
activities, Kelly Buonaccorsi and Kristen Connors contribute greatly
to public awareness of the abilities of people with disabilities.”
Buonaccorsi is a Life Financial and Inforce Analyst for the Metropolitan
Life Insurance Company (MetLife), handling correspondence between the
company and its customers, including customers’ requests and problems.
She joined MetLife in May after working for six years as the Nursing
Home Transition Coordinator at the Ocean State Center for Independent
Living in Warwick.
She’s testified at the Rhode Island House of Representatives,
arguing for increased funding to provide essential equipment and home
modifications for people with disabilities.
Buonaccorsi was appointed by the governor to a three-year term on the
Rhode Island Commission for Women (2000-2003).
Buonaccorsi graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology
from Rhode Island College in Providence. She and her husband, Michael,
have two sons, Connor, 4, and Christopher, 2.
Connors, who recently earned the 2006 Ms. Wheelchair America title,
is a constituent caseworker in the Rhode Island office of U.S. Rep.
James Langevin. She works with constituents on education, housing, military,
veteran and disability issues.
Connors, who accompanies Langevin on most of his Rhode Island presentations,
also serves as the congressman’s representative on several boards
and commissions, including TechAccess and the Youth Leadership Forum.
“I am proud to have Kristen as a valued member of my staff,”
Langevin said. “She works hard every day advocating for people
in the disabled community. As a successful disabled person, she is an
inspiration.”
Additionally, Connors is involved in the Rhode Island HomeChoice Coalition
and the Rhodes to Independence Housing Work Group Committee. Connors
attended Rhode Island College where she studied political science.
In 1974 at age 2, Buonaccorsi and Connors received a diagnosis of type
2 spinal muscular atrophy, a progressive motor neuron disorder that
causes weakness in the arms, legs, and upper and lower torso. The sisters
both use power wheelchairs for mobility and drive adapted vans.
Both Buonaccorsi and Connors are involved in MDA fund-raising events,
including MDA Lock-Ups, the Shamrocks Against Dystrophy program and
the Great Walk in Rhode Island. They also work with telephone volunteers
during the Telethon.
The two attended MDA summer camp as youngsters, and served as MDA Goodwill
Ambassadors for Rhode Island in 1981-82.
The sister act was one of four finalists for the national MDA Personal
Achievement Award. The other finalists were Stephen Krivda of Katy,
Texas; Michael Munn of Benson, Ariz.; and Mona Toner of Sioux Falls,
Iowa.
MDA’s 2005 national award recipient was Michael Wasser of Brooklyn,
N.Y., a tax and real estate attorney with the New York City Law Department
Office of Corporation Counsel.
MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular
diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services,
and far-reaching professional and public health education. MDA maintains
a clinic for area adults and children affected by neuromuscular diseases
at the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.
The MDA Telethon will originate from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly
Hills, Calif., on Sept. 4-5, beginning at 9 p.m. EDT. The Telethon reaches
some 50 million viewers via 190 “Love Network” stations
nationwide and millions more worldwide on the Internet.
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