West Hartford resident recognized for community service

Boston, MA– Brown Rudnick, an AmLaw 200 firm with offices in the US and Europe, today announced that Caroline Benoit received the sixth annual Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest M. Robert Dushman Community Service Award. This award honors a successful Brown Rudnick non-attorney whose professional or work life has demonstrated the qualities and commitment to the public interest that distinguished the Firm's late partner, M. Robert Dushman. 

Benoit has been a Research Information Specialist in the Hartford office since June 2010.  This award recognizes a non-attorney at Brown Rudnick who has demonstrated a long-standing, exceptional contribution to community service through his/her employment at the Firm, in recognition of the spirit and philosophy of respect and egalitarianism Dushman had for everyone in the Brown Rudnick workplace. 

Among her many philanthropic activities, Benoit serves on the board of directors for the Aurora Foundation for Girls, an organization which invests in and inspires women and girls in the Greater Hartford community and she was instrumental in organizing a very successful fundraiser for the Foundation this past spring.   Through Aurora, Benoit has become involved with Grace Academy, a middle school for girls in Hartford and Aurora grant recipient. She donated typing software to their library and works with the 8th grade girls who are applying to high schools by assisting them with the application process and financial aid forms as well as taking them on tours of the prospective high schools.  Benoit is also an advocate and volunteer for Hartford Boys and Girls Club for the annual SMART girls conference, which helps girls develop a healthy attitude and lifestyle, positive self-concepts, sound decision making skills, and mentor relationships.  

As a member of the Firm's Hartford office, Benoit  coordinates the office book drive to support Reach Out and Read.  She created a research project for the high school girls from Village of Family and Children (formerly Grey Lodge) for their day-long visit to Brown Rudnick and for those high school girls, created lists of websites that would be useful to such as research/homework/college planning sites. She interacts as an intermediary between Aurora Foundation and the Hartford office, and is supportive of Hartford office pro bono events.