The Spirit of Greenwich Award

Brita Darany von Regensburg receives Spirit of Greenwich Award.

​Excerpt from a Greenwich Post article by Sara Poirier, Assistant Editor Sept 19 2007

The Spirit of Greenwich Awards seeks to recognize and honor women volunteers in vision, devotion and accomplishment that enhance our community,” said Chris Hikawa, chairwoman of the YWCA Board of Directors, just before introducing the recipients at Tuesday’s ceremony.

The 2007 honorees include Pamela A. Farr, Elise Hillman Green, Phyllis Jacob, Patricia B. McDonald, Linda Munger, Brita Darany von Regensburg, Nancy Voye Weissler and Martha “Muffin” Zoubek.

Women received a gift from the YWCA, “Spirit” certificate, citations from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Mr. Nickerson, and a congratulatory letter from United States Congressman Christopher Shays.

As each recipient was introduced to the crowd of more than 100, each expressed gratitude to the organizations to which they had and continue to serve, as well as the people who helped them along the way.

Ms. Darany von Regensburg has advocated for the needs of grown children with autism for more than a decade, founding Friends of Autistic People (FAP) in 1997. A former interior designer and the mother of an autistic daughter, Ms. Darany von Regensburg has served as the nonprofit’s president, bringing internationally renowned autism experts to Greenwich.

The latest initiative of FAP is to create the first farm living and learning academy village for grown autistic children in Connecticut. Ms. Darany von Regensburg has also been involved with Kids in Crisis, the Greenwich Library Flinn Gallery, the Red Cross, Greenwich Hospital, the Bruce Museum, Greenwich ARC, and many other groups locally and regionally.

​She and her husband, Tibor, were honored as Greenwich Volunteer Couple of the Year by the Volunteer Center and the United Way of Fairfield in 2005.