Senator Morahan Presents Rockland County Resident With New York State Senate Achievers’ Award

New York State Senator Thomas P. Morahan, Chairman of the NYS Senate Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, today presented Preston Hollander of Garnerville with the New York State Senate Achievers’ Award. The prestigious award recognizes an individual’s ability to overcome personal physical challenges and honors his accomplishments on behalf of our community.

At the ceremony, which was part of Senate Disabilities Awareness Day, Senator Morahan noted that "the Achievers’ Award is an honor that recognizes the triumph of individual’s over sometimes daunting physical challenges and is bestowed on those whose efforts serve as an example of courage, personal excellence and achievement for our entire community." It is my pleasure to present this award to Preston, an individal who has dramatically overcome challenges, and is most definitely a young man for whom the community can be proud."

Preston Hollander is 34 years old. At age 16, as a result of a tragic diving accident, Preston was left a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down with limited use of his upper extremities. After treatment at Nyack Hospital, and over a year of therapy at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, he was determined not to let a traumatic experience curtail his future. Preston graduated 5th in his high school class and graduated from Iona College with a BBA in Management and Information Services. Preston is a valued full-time Systems Services Technician at Rockland County's Department of General Services, MIS Department.

Said Preston Hollander: "It is my belief that my strong will & the support of my friends and family continue to give me the strength needed to go about life one day at a time."

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