Jillian Zucco will be among those honored at the 49th Annual John S. Brayton Jr. Memorial Community Service Awards Banquet on Thursday, June 22 at White’s of Westport.
The Outstanding Community Service Award, presented by the Bristol County Chamber of Commerce, recognizes volunteer participation of extraordinary nature by an individual or a company.
The Mattapoisett resident is lauded for averaging more than 750 hours of community service per year. Her service work includes organizing annual blood drives, food drives, and the annual “Miss Inspirational” program she created to provide a platform for girls and young women with special needs and disabilities to showcase their talents and abilities so that the public can be educated and inspired by them.
She also works with the United Way of Greater New Bedford, serving on their planning committee for the Hunger Heroes project and as a volunteer at its various functions throughout the year. She serves as co-director of the Showstoppers community-service singing troupe and as a volunteer at the Share The Harvest Community Farm in Dartmouth and Gifts To Give in Acushnet.
She has organized annual fundraisers for the Children’s Miracle Network that have raised over $25,000 for Boston Children’s Hospital since 2013. She serves as a cantor at St. Anthony’s Church and as a volunteer and performer at many community fundraisers and civic events throughout the area.
While the total number of Ms. Zucco’s community hours alone is impressive, the impact of her efforts is compounded by the work of the great many she has influenced to get involved with her. She inspires everyone in her sphere of influence to join her in her service work or to choose a cause they are passionate about and make an impact through volunteerism, donorship, and/or advocacy. As a local titleholder in the Miss America Organization, Ms. Zucco carries the title of Miss Bristol County and promotes her personal platform, “Choose A Cause, Make A Difference” everywhere she goes.
Ms. Zucco is a 2011 alumnus of ORRHS and a 2016 Magna Cum Laude graduate of UMASS Dartmouth’s Nursing program, now working full time as a registered nurse at a regional hospital in the area. She will vie for the title of Miss Massachusetts on June 30 and July 1.