Kathy Corbalis is the recipient of the Malta House of Care’s top volunteer award.

Submitted 

West Hartford resident Kathy Corbalis has been named a 2020 “Heart of Malta” honoree by the Malta House of Care Clinic – Greater Hartford, in recognition of her extraordinary volunteer efforts for the nonprofit. It is the highest honor a Malta supporter can receive.

“Kathy has poured her heart and soul into Malta, so it was no surprise that she was a unanimous choice for this award,” said Malta Executive Director Michelle M. Murphy, also of West Hartford. “Since 2011, she’s volunteered an average of 20 hours per week, helping with all the big and little office tasks that make nonprofits hum – and always with a million-dollar smile. We would be lost without her!”

Corbalis began volunteering for Malta after retiring from The Hartford, where she worked for more than 30 years as a project manager. Currently, she is also an on-site disaster relief volunteer and blood donor (22 gallons) for the American Red Cross and serves as a Lector and Eucharistic Minister at St. Peter Claver Church. She and her husband, Jay, have two grown children.

“Malta House of Care is a very special place and I am pleased to work alongside such talented and caring staff and volunteers,” Corbalis said.

The “Heart of Malta” awards were established three years ago, to honor members of the Malta family who embody the values at the heart of the Malta mission and passionately demonstrate a commitment to its goals.

Corbalis shares this year’s honors with Dr. Bradford Wilkinson, a Malta medical volunteer since 2006, who moved to Wellesley, MA, two years ago but still comes back to Hartford twice a month to volunteer on the Malta van.

“America is characterized by volunteerism; one of Malta’s essential characteristics is dependence on volunteers,” said Peter G. Kelly, Sr., Chairman of Malta’s Development Committee. “One day Kathy walked through our door, a recent retiree from a high-level position in one of our insurance companies, and she never left. She is part of the heart of Malta’s operation, helping to bring health care to those in a gaping hole of uninsured.”

Founded in 2006, Malta House of Care is an independent non-profit that provides free primary health care to uninsured adults. Its iconic 40-foot white van – a doctor’s office on wheels – goes to four challenged neighborhoods on a fixed weekly schedule. Patients receive complete physicals, vaccinations, on- and offsite testing, diagnoses, medication, and health education – all at absolutely no cost. Supported 100% by private funding, Malta has provided more than 60,000 free patient visits over the past 14-plus years.

For more information about Malta House of Care Clinic, go to www.maltahouseofcare.org; to volunteer or donate, contact Michelle Murphy ([email protected]).

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