Cigna CEO Named Honorary Chair Of Bike MS Event
Two decades before he became president and CEO of Cigna, David Cordani was a recent college graduate and working his first job when he was personally confronted with the life-altering effects of multiple sclerosis. “My first personal experience with MS took place about 20 years ago when my co-worker’s girlfriend was diagnosed with the disease,” recalled Cordani. “What obviously stuck out was how ruthless the disease was and that it struck someone who was so young, as she was just out of college herself. I came face to face with the challenges of MS and it really motivated me to get involved.” For the past 21 years, Cordani has participated in the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter’s annual one-day Bike MS event held each spring. This year, the chapter has named Cordani the honorary chair for the chapter’s two-day ride, the 2010 Bike MS Cardio Express Ride, which was held on Aug. 28 and 29. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Bike MS Cardio Express Ride. In its history, more than 2,000 cyclists have pedaled over 200,000 miles to raise roughly $1 million that have gone to supporting local chapter programs, services and scientific research to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.
• • •
Cookbook Raises Funds
The Connecticut Bar Association has donated proceeds from its charity cookbook, From Court to Cuisine, to Saint Elizabeth’s Mercy Shelter and Housing in Hartford. The donation marks the culmination of a year-long service project by the bar’s Young Lawyers Section. The service project, entitled “Making a Difference,” brought attorney volunteers and bar staff members to shelters and soup kitchens throughout the state. In addition to Hartford’s Saint Elizabeth’s Mercy Shelter and Housing, proceeds also went to Norwalk’s Emergency Shelter and New Haven’s Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen. The cookbook featured more than 80 unique recipes submitted by bar members and staff.
• • •
Innovation Prize For Financial Literacy
The University of Hartford’s Center for Personal Financial Responsibility has received a silver Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Innovation Prize for its work to address a lack of financial literacy in college students. The center was founded by Susan Coleman, professor of finance at the University’s Barney School of Business, and Mitchell Weiss, an adjunct faculty member at the Barney School. Coleman and Weiss created the center in 2009 in response to the economic recession and its varied impact on students and their families. The center is an educational resource for all university students, hosting seminars led by professors and experts from the financial industry. The Innovation Prizes are awarded annually by the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership Inc.
• • •
Carousel Marks 96th Anniversary
Volunteers from the law firm of McCarter & English served cake at a party celebrating the 96th anniversary of the Bushnell Park Carousel in Hartford on Aug. 14. This was the fifth consecutive year McCarter & English has donated funds to provide free rides to the public.
Please Note: All electronic submissions for Accolades should be sent to news@HartfordBusiness.com. Items can also be mailed to: Accolades, Hartford Business Journal, 15 Lewis St., Suite 200, Hartford, CT 06103. For more information about the Hartford Business Journal’s Accolades Page, please visit www.HartfordBusiness.com.
