When asked to help out in Richmond, the standard answer from Bob and Betty Gniadek is “yes,” and their years of volunteering in Richmond was rewarded in 2021 with the Charles and Mary Kusik Citizenship Award. Their names will be added to the plaque in Town Hall.
The award was made by the Richmond Land Trust and Richmond Historical Society and will be officially presented at the land trust pie social later this year, along with announcement of a 2022 recipient. Because of COVID, the social was not held in 2021.

Bob and Betty have made a difference in many ways in Richmond. Betty grew up on Summit Road, just a few doors away from the Gniadeks’ present home. She says many of her volunteer hours were connected to their three offspring’s activities: cookie mom for Girl Scouts – which meant distributing hundreds of boxes of cookies to scouts – PTO and school classroom activities, plus Council on Aging events. Her favorite volunteering is being a board member of the Anita Chapman Scholarship Fund, which she served as president for several years and now as treasurer.
Bob credits his community time to the fact that he married “into a family that gives back.” He is chair of the Finance Committee, on the Zoning Board of Appeals, the road advisory committee and Phase 2 of the Municipal Building Committee. In the past, he served as president of the former Richmond Civic Association, as town auditor and, from 1993-98, was on the School Committee, serving as chair from 1994-98.
Both have been extraordinarily generous with their time for many years. They are the third couple to receive the Kusik Award. The other pairs were Francis and Betty Bartlett and Francis and Patricia Malnati.
Comments