SAUGERTIES, NY, OCTOBER 17, 2014 – Regional housing innovator RUPCO recognizes Georgette Hughes of Saugerties for her contributions at its annual Community Lunch on October 30 at Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern, Saugerties. Hughes, RUPCO’s Operations Manager for 27 years, accepts RUPCO’s first-ever Lifetime Service Award for her mission-driven work behind the scenes. Hughes retires on November 30 after nearly three decades serving Ulster County’s housing and community Development needs.
“Georgette’s dedication to RUPCO’s mission in strengthening homes, communities, and lives is unmatched in our organization’s history,” says RUPCO CEO Kevin O’Connor. “We’re taking time to reflect on her individual influence on each of us personally and the external impact she has generated by serving RUPCO through the years.”
Hughes came to RUPCO in 1987 and has ushered the housing innovator through growth in its programs, staff, and portfolio. “When I started with RUPCO, we provided mostly rental assistance and a spattering of rental rehab, Community Development Block Grant program work and Rural Preservation Program funds. We owned the Arabio and Brede buildings and the original CA Lynch Firehouse in Saugerties.” During her tenure at RUPCO, Hughes has seen the completion of housing solutions such as Park Heights senior housing, the rehabilitation of The Stuyvesant and The Kirkland, Hunter Street and Hasbrouck Avenue properties. “Now look at us,” adds Hughes. “Woodstock Commons, Tongore Pines, Pettit House, Buttermilk Falls, The Lace Mill, and a Greene County Section 8 HCV program, not to mention projects in Newburgh and Saugerties on the horizon. We have done so much for individuals throughout the county and surrounding areas that it amazes me some people still don’t know who we are! RUPCO has given me such a wealth of knowledge, not to mention friendships. It’s been great to work there.”
Following Hughes’ award acceptance, Community Lunch’s keynote speaker Ted Houghton talks supportive housing is the solution. “Ted’s talk addresses the needs and subsequent changes occurring statewide that reinforce the work needs to be done, the work that’s being done, through public-private partnerships,” notes O’Connor. “RUPCO welcomes innovative collaboration, like what we’re doing with Country Meadows in Saugerties, to further enhance housing accessibility and stable life situations for all Ulster County residents and our regional neighbors. Join us in celebrating Georgette’s milestone and her contribution to our collective success in supportive housing.”
Community Lunch will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern, Saugerties. Tickets cost $35 per person and can be ordered online. Corporate and business sponsorships from $100 to $1500 are also available. To purchase tickets or sponsorships online, visit rupco-community-lunch.eventbrite.com. For more information or questions about Community Lunch, tickets and sponsorships, visit www.RUPCO.org, call (845) 331-9860 ext. 210 or email Tara Collins, Director of Communication & Resource Development, at tcollins@rupco.org.
