Tricia Cunningham Receives Distinguished Toastmasters Award

On Saturday, April 25, 2026, Tricia Cunningham, Executive Director of Always Home, was honored to receive the Communication & Leadership (C & L) Award from Toastmasters District 53. Presented at the District’s annual conference in Waterbury, Connecticut, the C & L Award is given to a non-Toastmaster individual within the district who exemplifies quality leadership and communication skills. Toastmasters District 53 serves over 3,000 members in more than 140 clubs across Connecticut, Eastern New York and Western Massachusetts.

Cunningham was nominated by Jennifer Cimilluca, an Advanced Planning Analyst at Fidelity Investments in Fairfield, Connecticut and Toastmasters member. Cimilluca first met Cunningham when she attended Always Home’s Heart to Heart Gala over a year ago. After hearing Cunningham speak, she knew then that she was going to nominate her for this award. “The Communication & Leadership Award is presented to an individual who excels in their work, has an impact in their community, and is an outstanding communicator. In other words, Tricia!” shared Cimilluca. “With her passion for Always Home’s mission and her heart for the people the organization serves, nominating Tricia was a very easy decision. I am thrilled that the committee saw what I did in Tricia and her work, and that they selected her to receive the award.”

During her acceptance speech to the Toastmasters group, Cunningham shared that public speaking was not an innate skill for her. However, through consistent practice, she has developed her confidence. ““I still feel butterflies,” Cunningham confessed, “but the importance of raising awareness about Always Home and its mission to prevent family homelessness motivates me to speak whenever I have the opportunity.”

To learn more about Always Home, visit www.alwayshome.org