LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Debbie Cornall upon the occasion of her
designation as recipient of the Sharing the Light Award by Catholic
Charities of the Finger Lakes on June 16, 2016

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, Debbie Cornall has given not only of her time and energies
but also of her competence, intelligence and leadership and consequently
has been designated for special honor; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Debbie Cornall
upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the Sharing the
Light Award by Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes, to be celebrated
at its Annual Sharing the Light Award Dinner on Thursday, June 16, 2016,
at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York; and
WHEREAS, Debbie Cornall has been called upon to contribute her time
and talents to countless civic and charitable endeavors and has always
given of herself unstintingly; and
WHEREAS, A lifelong resident of the Finger Lakes Region, Debbie
Cornall attended Sacred Heart Elementary School, Our Lady of Mount
Carmel High School, Cayuga Community College and Cayuga-Onondaga School
of Nursing; she has been employed by Auburn Memorial Hospital and by the
office of Stanley N. Gutelius, M.D.; and
WHEREAS, A true asset to her community, Debbie Cornall is a Faith
Formation teacher at Sacred Heart Church, and an ESL teacher for Haitian
workers in the King Ferry Migrant Farmworkers project; she has also
participated in the pillowcase dress project for girls in Guatemala, and
was involved with the Sexual Assault Victims Advocacy Program (SAVAR);
and
WHEREAS, In addition, her work with Chapel House, a homeless shelter
located in Auburn, New York, led Debbie Cornall to pursue her dream of
opening her own shelter; she established Daylight House, a temporary
residential facility created to serve homeless women and children, where
she was able to support those in need; and
WHEREAS, While her son was serving overseas, Debbie Cornall developed
the Child to Child project, mobilizing her Auburn community and collect-
ing generous donations of school supplies, clothing, diapers, shoes and
food to send to the children of a small community in Iraq; the project
was included in the book, MOVED BY FAITH, STORIES FROM AMERICAN CATHOLIC
RADIO; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the entire period of her community service, a
period of constructive involvement, Debbie Cornall has stood constant in
dignity, good grace and humor; and
WHEREAS, With her throughout have been her four children, Joseph
(Lisa), Mary (David), Christopher and Ryan, as well as her two grand-
children, Jonas and Jonathan, all of whom feel privileged to be a part
of her life and rejoice in her achievements; and
WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the impressive dedication shown by an individ-
ual for the benefit of others which Debbie Cornall has displayed
throughout her life; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Debbie Cornall upon the occasion of her designation as recipient

of the Sharing the Light Award by the Catholic Charities of the Finger
Lakes on June 16, 2016; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Debbie Cornall.