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Paul Halpern Silver Award Recipient

A man with strong convictions and a warm heart, Paul Halpern gives his time and good sense to many causes, near and far.

As President Elect of the Middletown Rotary Club, he with fellow club members joined community efforts this past winter to open the first warming shelter in Middletown for those escaping bitter cold nights. Paul helped with cooking and bringing in hot meals and stayed overnight as a volunteer. “They really embraced the program,” he says of the individuals who came in. “They voluntarily took on chores, such as cleaning, and were tremendously grateful for a warm place to put their heads.”

Paul is also very dedicated to supporting the expansion of Orange Regional Medical Center. A trustee for over six years and now the Vice Chair of the Orange Regional Medical Center Foundation, he envisions a modern facility located on one campus. “This is the first new single site hospital in New York State in almost twenty-five years,” he says with pride. Chairing the community phase of the project, Paul will coordinate outreach and education about the new medical center as well as oversee community wide fund raising for the capital campaign. Paul is also a member of the Board of Directors of Orange Regional Medical Center.

Preparing young people to succeed in the workplace is a goal close to Paul’s heart. As chair of the Advisory Board of the Academies of Finance and Information Technology at Middletown High School, he, along with fellow business leaders from the community, oversee student development and enrichment through a partnership with the National Academy Foundation. Securing paid internships for the students enrolled in the academies is one of the most important functions of the Advisory Board. It is a critical link melding the skills learned in the classroom and their application to the real world. “I have seen lives change from this experience,” he says with a smile. “Students will find tools they will carry for the rest of their lives.”

With eyes looking further from home, Paul helps raise thousands of dollars to feed malnourished children in Haiti. Poverty is endemic there, and young children are especially vulnerable. Specially-made high-protein bars are an economical way to nourish large numbers of children, and much of the funds raised will support their production and distribution to remote areas.

Paul has a large family, which includes the Jewish community and fellow congregants at Temple Sinai. His wife, Carmella, is Director of Nursing for Rehabilitation and Dialysis at Orange Regional Medical Center. He also has four children (David, Robert, Domenica, and Nicholas), and three grandchildren (Kelly, Anthony and Leonard). “And don’t forget Precious, my mini-Schnauzer,” he adds.

“When Paul learns of a problem, he steps up to the plate,” says longtime friend and former Mayor of Middletown, Gertrude Mokotoff. “He truly has a heart of gold.”