Caring Hands Award Luncheon
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
11:30 Registration | 12:00 pm Lunch | 12:30 Award Ceremony
Luncheon held at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, CT

It is again time for our annual Caring Hands Luncheon. This year we will honor the remarkable nursing aides, home health aides, and assisted living aides who are true champions in aging services. These dedicated caregivers don’t just provide care - they lead with compassion, creativity, and courage, challenging assumptions and driving meaningful change every day. By shaping stronger teams, empowering communities, and improving the lives of the people they serve, they embody the bold spirit that moves our field forward. This luncheon is a celebration of their extraordinary impact and commitment to making a difference.

Luncheon Details
Registration for the Caring Hands Award Luncheon event will begin at 11:30 am, with lunch served family-style at 12:00 pm. The award ceremony will start at 12:30 pm with opening remarks from Mag Morelli, President of LeadingAge Connecticut & Rhode Island, Jon-Paul Venoit, Board Chair, and guest speaker Scot Haney, WFSB Meteorologist. During the ceremony, each honoree will be called to the stage, their nomination will be read by Mag, they will receive their award and then return to their table. A professional photographer will be available throughout the event to capture these special moments.

Please note: The nomination process has changed this year. We encourage you to review the instructions carefully before submitting your nomination.

Nominate a Certified Nursing Assistant, Home Health Aide or Assisted Living Aide
We invite members from both Connecticut and Rhode Island to nominate a certified nursing assistant, home health aide, or assisted living aide who exemplifies the highest standards of compassion, commitment and excellence. Each member organization may submit one nomination per service line. This ensures that we can recognize and honor outstanding aides from multiple organizations. If more than one nomination is submitted for the same service line, we will ask the nominator to select their preferred candidate.

Nominations
This year, nominations have moved from email to an online-only submission process. Submissions sent by any other method cannot be accepted. Please describe in 5 sentences how the aide goes above and beyond – and we suggest that you make note of any unique quality, initiative, or event that makes them deserving of this year’s caring hands recognition. We will utilize the information contained in your written nomination to prepare the comments for the program.

Once your online submission has been received, you will receive a confirmation email.

Nominations are due February 18, 2026. Due to the necessity to order the engraved awards in advance, nominations submitted after the deadline may not be accepted.

Table Reservation (Included in your nomination form)
Each organization that nominates an honoree is required to reserve a table(s) for their guests.

Choose your table size:
8 seats – $800
10 seats – $900

Seating Table Reservation Notes:
• Honorees count toward the total seats.
• Each table may include up to 2 honorees.
• If your group is larger than the table size, additional tables must be reserved.
*We ask that you register the total number of attendees only. Name tags will reflect your organization. Please be sure to share that with your guests.

Your nomination and table reservation includes:
• Special award for the honoree
• Early arrival to decorate (no glitter/confetti) - best-decorated table contest!
• Professional photo of your table & award

Questions? Email [email protected] or call 203-678-4477.