Joe Mannetti, a resident of New London and son of the late Dr. Paul J. Devendittis and Gloria Devendittis of Waterford, Connecticut has been selected by the Board of Directors of the New Haven Pride Center to be one of the recipients of the 11th Annual Dorothy Awards.

Established in 2003, this award honors Connecticut residents who have made significant contributions to our community. Past honorees include State Representative Michael Lawlor, Anne Stanback of Love Makes A Family; the Imperial Sovereign Court of All Connecticut; Tony Ferraiolo (co-founder and president of The Jim Collins Foundation), and Michael Morand of Yale University. He will be joining a remarkable group of people and organizations who have made a difference to the LGBT community over the years.

The award will be presented on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at a recognition gala and dinner in his honor at Fantasia in North Haven. This year's event will run from 6 to 11 p.m.

Joe Mannetti?s biography includes a long list of honors and awards, national and international, for his charitable and community efforts. Joe is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Nassau Community College, honors graduate from State University of New York at Purchase and received a Master's Plus degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from the State University of California at Northridge. He is a Mental Health Counselor at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital and a Connecticut Licensed HIV Tester and Counselor.