Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto, together with members of the Town Board, honored 10 extraordinary recipients at the eighth annual Town of Oyster Bay "Women of Distinction" Awards Ceremony, held at Town Hall March 28. The award recognizes the outstanding achievements of women who either live or work in the town.

"A distinguished awards committee, once again, had the difficult task of selecting exceptional designees as the 'Women of Distinction' in one of eight categories," Supervisor Venditto said. "This year marked the first that the town had 10 recipients of this award."

"The 'Women of Distinction' program has certainly proven to be a memorable tradition, honoring women who stand as role models for the younger generation in the Town of Oyster Bay," Supervisor Venditto continued. "These women are a shining example of the outstanding citizenship that has made the Town of Oyster Bay such a special place to live and raise a family."

This year's designees are:

Peggy Donovan, a resident of Plainview, was a District Representative in Congressman Peter T. King's office for more than a decade. During her time there, she assisted residents with possibly every problem imaginable. She helped residents who called the office find information dealing with various federal agencies and issues, including veteran services, IRS, INS, Social Security and disability. Peggy was always able to lead residents in the right direction and help them in getting the assistance they needed.

Peggy also represented the Congressman at various events, traveling throughout the district to show support to residents and honoring their achievements. She was CEO of Donovan's Armed Guards, a private investigation security business and was always very active in the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, whose motto of "Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity" she took to heart. With that group, Peggy helped countless people through charity activities including clothing drives and raising money for worthy causes.

Lorraine Kaplan, a resident of Plainview, dedicates her time to promoting mental illness education in local schools. She is the director of Educational Outreach for a National Alliance on Mental Illness project called "Breaking the Silence; Teaching the Next Generation about Mental Illness." Her goal is to see the existence of classrooms where people discuss depression, schizophrenia and other brain disorders with as much ease as they do AIDS, cancer, diabetes and other important health topics.

Lorraine's son, who was in advanced classes, on the debate and wrestling teams, first trombonist in the orchestra and jazz band, and a Regents Scholarship recipient, was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a high school senior. She was advised to keep it a secret for years because of the stigma of mental illness. She told no one for years. That all changed when she met other mothers suffering with the same heartache who were also cautioned to remain silent. That's when Lorraine broke the silence.

She has taken the past 10 years to promoting mental illness education in schools. Thanks to her dedication, students in classrooms on Long Island and across the country are learning about these illnesses. Lorraine's courage has turned a devastating experience into an educational crusade.

"These fine honorees have dedicated themselves to service and achievement, and their remarkable accomplishments are an inspiration to us all," Supervisor Venditto said. "Young women throughout the town do not need to look to Hollywood actresses or pop stars for their role models, they can look right here in the Town of Oyster Bay."