Middlesex County Chamber Honors Okafor

Former UConn basketball star Emeka Okafor received the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce ’s Role Model of the Year award on July 23 at its monthly breakfast meeting at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell hotel. The award is given each year to an individual who is a positive influence on the local and national community through displaying outstanding community involvement and activism. Okafor, who plays center for the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets, was selected because of his positive impact on the New Orleans community and through his partnerships with the Safe Blood for Africa Foundation and his One Million African Lives Initiative. There were 500 people at the meeting, sponsored by Citizens Bank.