Fallsburg — October 21, 2025 – The SYDA Foundation has announced that Martin Colavito of Liberty, New York, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 SYDA Foundation Community Service Award. The SYDA Foundation sponsors this annual award to recognize and honor local citizens for outstanding and enduring service to the Sullivan County community. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the award.

The SYDA Foundation Community Service Award presentation will take place on Wednesday, November 19, at 1 p.m. at the Sullivan County Government Center’s Legislative Meeting Room at 100 North Street, Monticello, NY 12701. Everyone is welcome to attend.

This prestigious award includes a certificate of merit for outstanding service to the Sullivan County community and a monetary gift to be distributed by the recipient to the charities of their choice. In honor of the award’s 40th anniversary, the SYDA Foundation has increased the monetary gift to $7,500.

The Community Service Award selection committee, comprised of past award recipients and local civic leaders, chose Martin (Marty) Colavito to receive this year’s award in recognition of his decades of service as a community organizer, improving his neighbors’ access to food, health services, housing, educational services, and other vital services.  In addition, Marty spent twelve years of his career providing substance abuse treatment and prevention in under-resourced neighborhoods.

Marty grew up in the Bronx and, in the 1970s, he became a community organizer working on tenant issues and counseling people dealing with substance use disorders. In 1982, he moved to Sullivan County with his wife, Lynn, and continued his life of community service.

Marty was Director of Prevention and Adolescent Services for Catholic Charities from 2007 to 2019, where he served as a certified clinical alcohol and substance abuse counselor. Currently, he is the Prevention Programs Issue Leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County, continuing to serve the community with an emphasis on substance abuse treatment and prevention.

In 2010, Marty was instrumental in organizing Sullivan Allies Leading Together (SALT), a diverse partnership of community members, business owners, and agencies committed to compassionately guiding people in need to appropriate human services. SALT also supports harm reduction efforts through grass roots outreach and educational engagement and through supporting substance abuse prevention programs. Marty serves on SALT’s Committee for Equity and Justice (CEJ), which advocates for equity and justice for all members of the Sullivan County community.

In collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County, Marty in 2020 created Sullivan Fresh Community Cupboard, a food pantry and emergency food delivery service to address the growing need for food security in the area. He is actively involved in the program, which serves more than 700 people each week.

“Marty’s contributions are not just about what he does but how he does it with kindness, dedication, and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place,” a member of the selection committee shared about Marty. “His daily actions serve as a testament to his exceptional character and his profound impact on the community.”

Upon learning he received this year’s Community Service Award, Marty said, “There are so many good people in this community—it’s incredibly humbling. Truth be told, I’m nothing without the people I serve.”

Marty and his wife, Lynn, live in Liberty and have two daughters and three granddaughters.