Jimmy Fund Council honors WMass volunteers

The Jimmy Fund Council of Western Massachusettsrecently presented two volunteer members with the prestigious Sadowsky Visionary Award during the council’s annual meeting.

The honorees, Allie Guarente, of West Springfield, and Liz Rappaport, of Longmeadow, were recognized at the meeting held on Oct. 22 at the University of Massachusetts Art Gallery on Main Street.

Guarente is the inspiration behind the efforts and success of Allie’s Five O’clock Fund, established and dedicated to fighting childhood cancer. Having raised many thousands of dollars over the last several years, she shows that hard work, devotion and belief in a cause, makes a difference.

“Although Allie has gone through many tough times in her young life, she is a great ‘face’ for the Jimmy Fund at On the Border restaurant and always has a smile on her face as she greets guests,” Barbara Sadowsky, award namesake and Dana-Farber trustee, said.

The restaurant hosts a “Give Back Night” the first Wednesday of every month beginning at 5 p.m. and donates 10 percent of every customer check to cancer research in the name of Allie’s fund via the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund.

Guarente and her parents, Bob and Marge Guarente, organized “The Summer State of Mind Concert,” raising over $350,000 over the last eight years. They presented a new annual event, “Jokes for Jimmy,” which debuted on Nov. 14 at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting Hou