By Stanley Martin
WARWICK – An eight-member committee evaluated 14 impressive finalists nominated by residents before choosing mental health and suicide prevention advocate Judy Battista as the 2023-2024 Warwick Citizen of the Year.
Bill Lindberg and Wayne Patterson were selected as this year’s Outstanding Community Service award recipients.
The three will be honored Wednesday, Oct. 25, at The Landmark Inn. The event, sponsored by the Warwick Valley Rotary Club, will begin with a one-hour open bar social at 6 p.m., followed by the awards program. Tickets are $60 and are available at warwickvalleyrotary.org.
Co-chairing this year’s event are Cindy Vander Plaat and Patti Lurye Dempster.
Proceeds from the evening will be donated to Rotary International’s PolioPlus project to eliminate polio worldwide. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match the donation two-for-one.
Judy Battista
Judy Battista became a mental health and suicide prevention advocate after the loss of her son Daniel in 2008.
She and her family founded “Tista4Life” in memory of Daniel, offering outreach, music scholarships, support groups, art exhibits and annual blood drives in his memory.
As a board member volunteering for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Judy participated in forums in Washington DC advocating for legislative bills and speaking to representatives for suicide prevention. This contributed to the nationwide implementation of 988, the three-digit number for a suicide and crisis hotline.
Judy Battista is also a board member of Warwick Cares, which provides information, resources, lifesaving signs and messages of hope as well as offering training and sponsoring special events. This year, with the support of Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton, Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard and a team of volunteers, Warwick Cares launched May as Mental Health Month. This collaboration with the Town of Warwick and the villages of Warwick, Florida and Greenwood Lake brought additional awareness for mental health and suicide prevention, created signs of the lifesaving 988 number and messages of hope throughout the community as well as offering mental health training to the public.
Judy moved to Warwick from Staten Island 25 years ago. She and her husband, Rocco, raised three children here and are now proud grandparents. As a community cultural artist, Battista has been the owner and director of Jubilee Dance Events and Entertainment for the past 14 years. Each year she contributes her talent to help the Village of Warwick Music Series with “Latin Night.” She also volunteers for the local Hispanic community and organizes Spanish services and celebrations at the Church of St. Stephen, the first Martyr.
Wayne Patterson
Wayne Patterson, a resident of Warwick since 1999, was honored Oct. 20, 2022, with the Robert J. Uplinger Award celebrating outstanding individuals who provide a significant service to their club, district and community. The award is the highest available to Lions.
He was a board member for the Warwick Valley Central School District from 2009-2012. In 2011 he joined Warwick Valley Prevention Coalition and is the current President of Team Up for Hope, Inc., which he joined in 2019. These organizations focus on wellness, youth and community awareness of mental health.
Wayne is also involved with We the People Warwick, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Warwick Valley High School Sit & Chat, National Alliance on Mental Illness, WVHS Interact, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Warwick Community Center.
An active member of the Warwick Lions Club since 2007, Wayne has served an important role in club operations, fundraising activities and community service events. He has served as past director, membership chair and club secretary.
His favorite service event is the Children’s Holiday Shopping Party. This event provides children in need of holiday support with “free” shopping for their families. Each child also receives a personalized gift bag with clothing, shoes and a toy. Patterson was instrumental in recruiting Warwick Rotarians to join the Lions in a co-hosting effort that doubled the number of children who could participate in the event.
Patterson became a member of Warwick Valley Rotary in 2006 and served as president from 2011-2012. One of his favorite fundraisers is the Golf Outing. He has been chairperson for both the Warwick Lions and the Warwick Valley Rotary golf events. He currently is a community services representative on the Rotary Board of Directors and secretary of the Warwick Rotary Foundation.
While Wayne Patterson loves to volunteer, he feels that his greatest accomplishments are his children Tiffany Patterson and Portia Dolfinger, and granddaughters Shania and Kenisha.
Bill Lindberg
Bill Lindberg has been a Warwick resident for 32 years. Professionally, he worked for Aramark for 36 years, 20 as a district manager. His wife, Judy, worked at St. Anthony Community Hospital for 26 years as a nurse and administrator.
“I am glad and grateful I am in a position to help out as a volunteer in our community,” said Lindberg.
A partial list of his extensive list of civic accomplishments include:
- Member of the Warwick Fire Department for 26 years, past president and current treasurer of Goodwill Hook & Ladder Company, past vice president and current treasurer since 2011 for the Warwick Fire Department.
- Current member (ambulance driver) of the Warwick Community Ambulance Service and in the top 5 for number of calls responded to in the past two years.
- Meals on Wheels volunteer driver for the past 15 years.
- Founded the Senior Fitness program for seniors in 2013
- Village of Warwick Trustee from 2010 to 2022. Liaison to village parks. Assisted Playground Dreams Committee for three years to design/plan the current playground at Stanley-Deming Park.
- Member of the executive committee planning all events for Warwick’s Sesquicentennial yearlong celebration in 2017.
- Coach and umpire for Warwick Little League for 10 years and board member for four years.
- Active member and past president of the Board of Trustees at the Warwick United Methodist Church.
“Certainly, one of my proudest volunteer activities is spending time with our five grandchildren,” added Lindberg.
