Groton — The effect on the community of Wireless Zone franchise owners Scott Gladstone and Neil Ryan was the centerpiece of a Citizen of the Year dinner sponsored Wednesday in their honor at the Mystic Marriott by the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut.

Between them, with the help of their Wireless Zone team, Gladstone of Waterford and Ryan of Mystic estimate they donate about $65,000 annually to local causes. Ryan helped found the annual Mystic Irish Parade, while Gladstone has concentrated on Waterford Country School, a shelter and a residential treatment center for teens.

"We enjoy doing it," Ryan said in a phone conversation prior to the dinner. "It makes us feel happy."

Bill Martin, executive director of Waterford Country School, said in prepared remarks that Wireless Zone sponsors fundraisers, provides Christmas gifts and lends a wide variety of other support. Gladstone stepped in after the sudden death of Gary Saunders, a passionate supporter of the school, to help run the annual golf tournament, building it into one of the premier sporting events in the region despite the fact he is not a golfer himself.

The tournament, said Martin, has raised more than $250,000 for Waterford Country School.

"It allowed us to complete the new gym and fitness center without a penny of financing," Martin said, "a facility that the kids and staff use every day and every night."

Other causes boosted by the business partners have included Center for Hospice Care, High Hopes Therapeutic Riding, the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, Madonna Place, Thames River Family Program, United Way and the Make a Wish Foundation.

"Everything we do over the years has been done to make a difference in someone else's lives," Gladstone said. "We do it because it's the right thing to do."

He added that most of the causes they have supported involve people facing real hardships. And sometimes they offered support, he said, based on a flier or a press release rather than a direct request for donations.

Russ Weldon, founder of the Wireless Zone chain of phone stores that he built into a $500 million company, said in an interview before his dinner speech that Gladstone and Ryan make a tremendous team.

"It's like a marriage; you need different facets," Weldon said. "They've created something from nothing, and they have given back to the community. Most people who are successful are also very philanthropic."

Both Gladstone and Ryan, who currently own five Wireless Zone franchises in eastern Connecticut, expressed how grateful they are to the Chamber for naming them Citizens of the Year.

"We were shocked and very appreciative of the recognition," Gladstone said.

"It's almost like a small wedding," Ryan added. "It's humbling, all the people that have come out of the woodwork to congratulate us."

l.howard@theday.com