Larry Santamaria is the honorary chairperson for the Guilford Gommunity Fund for 2008-2009.

Larry is a lifelong Guilford resident. He has served as commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars from 1978 to the present – the longest term commander in the state. He is a Vietnam War veteran, having served in the United States Marine Corps. And is a Purple Heart recipient. Larry is currently involved in the fundraising committee for the VFW rebuild. He has organized the Memorial Day parade in Guilford for 30 years now.

Many honors have been bestowed on Larry Santamaria. He is a recipient of the Paul Harris Award given by the Guilford Rotary Club for outstanding service to the community. He was recognized by the Secretary of State and received a prestigious public service award for his volunteerism and contributions to the town of Guilford. He also received the Town Proclamation Award. Larry has been involved in many fundraising events, too numerous to mention all. One of these was the “Hearts for Alyssa” (Alyssa Kleinkauf) event, which raised over $22,000 for Alyssa’s future. Alyssa’s mother and siblings were victims of a violent crime and their murders stunned the Guilford community.

Larry is hands-on when it comes to Meals on Wheels, Charlie’s Closet and the Food Bank. He works for the Town of Guilford and prepares all the meals for Meals on Wheels. This is his 26th year providing Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to over 130 residents in Guilford. He is involved with interfaith ministries and provides meals Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. These baskets and meals mean so much to the community and to many senior citizens.

Larry is a hard worker, a steady hand at the many civic and vfw projects he guides and is known to have a very big heart.

The Guilford Community Fund is honored to have Larry Santamaria as it’s honorary chairperson for our annual appeal.