Citizens Foundation honors Chris Farlekas

Sugar loaf - Chris Farlekas, a feature writer with the Times Herald-Record, has been selected as the Orange County Citizens Foundation’s 2006 Seligmann Award recipient. The award will be given Sept. 7 and is given annually to an individual or organization that displays an unparalleled commitment to the arts and culture in Orange County. Farlekas has been a supporter of the arts in Orange County for many years. His subjects have included Bette Davis, James Cagney, Joan Crawford, Robert Duvall and Whoopi Goldberg. He has also turned the spotlight on local talent He also has been a fund-raiser for Red Cross disaster relief efforts, including the 2004 tsunami, the 2006 Orange County floods and Hurricane Katrina. In 2006, Farlekas was presented with the Citizens of Distinction Award by the American Red Cross of Greater New York and received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh. He is also a member of the Orange County Human Rights Commission and Citizens Reunited to Overcome Cancer. “Countless individuals have been affected positively by Chris and Orange County is a better place,” said Nancy Proyect, president of the Orange County Citizens Foundation. For more information, contact the foundation at 469-9459.