LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Donna and Phil Vallone upon the occasion
of their designation as recipients of the 2010 SYDA Foundation Community
Service Award

WHEREAS, Individuals who give of their time and energies and serve the
best interests of their communities are an asset beyond remuneration and
cannot be sufficiently extolled; and
WHEREAS, Donna and Phil Vallone have given not only of their time and
energies to the Sullivan County community but also of their competence,
intelligence and leadership and consequently have been designated for
special honor; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Donna and Phil
Vallone upon the occasion of their designation as recipients of the 2010
Community Service Award by the SYDA Foundation to be celebrated at its
25th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, September 16, 2010; and
WHEREAS, The SYDA Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that
makes Siddha Yoga meditation available to students around the world; in
addition, this valuable organization contributes to the local community
through annual donations to the Fallsburg Police Department, local fire
departments, the Fallsburg School District and the Catskill Regional
Medical Center; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, individuals who practice Siddha Yoga are members
of civic and service organizations that benefit the community and the
local environment; and
WHEREAS, Donna and Phil Vallone have dedicated themselves to ensuring
the safety of young people and to strengthening the vibrancy of the town
and county in which they live; and
WHEREAS, Donna and Phil Vallone both have a long history in Sullivan
County; Phil moved to the area with his family at the age of 11; Donna
grew up in Staten Island and spent summers in the area; the couple first
met here in Sullivan County at a young age; some years later, they met
again as adults in New York City and were married in 1985; and
WHEREAS, At the time, Phil Vallone was the owner of a bus company in
Queens; in 1990, he obtained the Fallsburg School District bus contract;
Phil and Donna returned to Sullivan County and established the Rolling V
Bus Corporation in South Fallsburg; the family settled beside the
Willowemac Creek where they built their house and raised their two chil-
dren, Phil Jr. and Nicholas; and
WHEREAS, As the boys grew older, Donna Vallone restored cabins, previ-
ously owned by Phil's father, and developed a vacation property called
Creekside Cabins; it has become a Sullivan County destination for visi-
tors from as far away as Taiwan; and
WHEREAS, As president of the Rolling V Bus Corp, Phil Vallone devel-
oped a school bus service for children which has won awards for its
impeccable safety record; in Sullivan County alone, Rolling V, with its
more than 275 employees, transports over 6,000 individuals a day, mostly
young people; and
WHEREAS, The company gives priority to quality of service, integrity,
and loyalty to staff, customers, and community; and for Phil Vallone the
most important thing is safety; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, when two Livingston Manor teens died in a tragic car
accident, Phil helped institute a driver safety program for young people
called Alive at 25; this program, created by the National Safety Coun-
cil, is designed to help young drivers learn to drive more carefully;
for the past four years, the schools in all six Sullivan County
districts have offered the program to several thousand students; and

WHEREAS, Additionally, Donna and Phil Vallone have established the
annual Rolling V Scholarship in the Livingston Manor School District --
a $1,500 college grant for the senior who has improved the most in their
four years of high school; this award, which has been offered for the
past 17 years, benefits students who work hard but otherwise would not
receive recognition; and
WHEREAS, Donna and Phil Vallone are also strong supporters of the Boys
and Girls Clubs and Community Unity, an organization that helps improve
the quality of life for Sullivan County families, especially for chil-
dren in need; and
WHEREAS, They are also active supporters of the Chamber of Commerce,
the Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, Sullivan Renaissance, Bethel Woods
Center for the Arts, and the local fire department; furthermore, they
are very committed to keeping Roscoe's main street alive and flourish-
ing; and
WHEREAS, The quality of the Vallones' service to the community has not
gone unnoticed; in 2007, Phil was named New York State's Bus Contractor
of the Year; in 2009, he was honored as Business Man of the Year in
Sullivan County by the Chamber of Commerce; in May of 2010 the Governor
of New York appointed Phil to the State of New York's Comprehensive
School Bus Driver Safety Council; and Donna and Phil have been recog-
nized by Community Unity for their service to youth oriented and volun-
teer organizations in Sullivan County; and
WHEREAS, Donna and Phil Vallone have been called upon to contribute
their time and talents to countless civic and charitable endeavors and
have always given of themselves unstintingly; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the entire period of their community service, a
period of constructive involvement, Donna and Phil Vallone have stood
constant in dignity, good grace and humor; and
WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the impressive dedication shown by individuals
for the benefit of others which Donna and Phil Vallone have displayed
throughout their lives; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Donna and Phil Vallone upon the occasion of their designation as
recipients of the 2010 SYDA Foundation Community Service Award; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Donna and Phil Vallone.