The 25th annual Chester A. Smith Award will be presented to Charles (Chuck) Newman. The prestigious Chester A. Smith Award honors those who have demonstrated community spirit, philanthropy and dedication to Peekskill.
The award ceremony will be held at the Hollow Brook Golf Club on Oregon Road in Cortlandt this Thursday, April 18 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. This year’s event will raise funds needed for the Field Library’s STEAM program which seeks to engage young minds with unique teaching tools. Tickets are $95 per person and includes hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine, dessert, and the award program. There will also be a silent auction. Tickets can be purchased using this link via Eventbrite.
Chuck’s philanthropy and dedication to Peekskill and Cortlandt and his love of the entire community has been ever present for over 30 years.
Charles (Chuck) Newman is President and Managing Partner of Charles Newman Co., an independent employee benefits brokerage celebrating its 30th year in business and serving more than 200 companies. In 2021, the Charles Newman Co. received the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year recognition.
Chuck is a past president of the Lakeland Education Foundation, a past president of The First Hebrew Congregation of Peekskill and served on the Board of Trustees of Peekskill’s Paramount Center for the Arts. Chuck is a member of the Peekskill Yacht Club and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, The Peekskill Arts Center and Volunteer New York.
In addition, Chuck also volunteers as a Trail Maintainer for the New York, New Jersey Trail Conference, and volunteers as a Graduation Coach for Yonkers Partners in Education (where he is mentoring a high school sophomore until graduation. Recently, he was recruited by Westchester County Economic Development’s “Launch 1000” program to serve as a volunteer mentor for more than a half dozen start-up entrepreneurs.
In 2022, Charles Newman, the local Jewish community of First Hebrew, and the Peekskill NAACP co-founded Peekskill’s annual 15 Days of Lights Celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. The Celebration of Lights is an event that celebrates the two holiday celebrations and dispel the darkness of racism and antisemitism in the United States. The 15 Days of Lights Celebration recently held its second annual event in December 2023 as reported by the Peekskill Herald.
The Friends of the Field Library has noticed Newman’s community spirit, philanthropy and dedication to Peekskill and honors him with the Chester A. Smith Award.
Chester Smith was a Peekskill resident, founded the Peekskill “A Friendly Town Association”, and helped lead Peekskill’s evolution from a village to a City. He was also a library Board President and a Field Library Board of Trustee. It was through his leadership where he chaired the committee to raise $20,000 to buy a church and convert it into a library. His commitment to The Field Library continued for more than 50 years. The Chester A. Smith Award was established to honor and recognize community members who similarly represent a dedication and commitment to the City of Peekskill.
The Friends of The Field Library is a registered 501c3 non profit, whose mission is to support Peekskill and Cortlandt’s The Field Library through fundraising and outreach.
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