Annual Reports & Newsletters

Advocate of the Year

Barbara LaBarge and Anthony Kurec named 2021-2022 Advocates of the Year

While the distinction of Advocate of the Year is usually given to one member of our organization for exceptional service, this year we are proud to honor Barb and Tony, as they both are equally deserving of this recognition.

Barb and Tony are members of the Advocates’ Executive Committee and Board of Directors, with Tony also serving as chair of the Contracts Committee and Barb serving as board treasurer and chair of the Finance and Grants committees since 2019. They represent the best of all of us who call ourselves Advocates for Upstate.

This past year, especially, they went above and beyond what is expected as a board member and volunteer to ensure that the Advocates continue to effectively support Upstate and the patients Upstate serves.

These two individuals gave a considerable amount of their time sharing their expertise to ensure that our grants and scholarship programs continued uninterrupted despite the challenges and financial shortfall brought about by COVID-19.

They were integral parts of our team, especially in interacting with our vendor partners and the challenges they faced.

Barb and Tony are smart, insightful, and committed to keeping Advocates for Upstate strong and to helping Upstate Medical University and its hospitals continue to be vital resources in our community.

We are proud to honor them as our 2021-2022 Advocates of the Year!