Hospice Honors Dawn Blom and John Sims

Dawn Blom, founder of Artistic Group & Day Spa in Danbury and of DPZ North in Litchfield, was honored for her fundraising fashion show, "The Heart of Beauty," in 2011.

honored Blom and John Sims of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.

"With a team of voluntees, she transformed Danbury Plaza and brought to life some of history's greatest icons of fashion, including Cher, Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra," Hospice wrote in its booklet honoring Blom. The one-day event raised $50,000 for Hospice.

In addition to making Hospice one of her charities, Blom supports Family and Children's Aid, Ann's Place, and others.

John P. Sims, the corporate security supervisor of , was honored for his 25 years of volunteering work in Hospice's "The Art of Caring," a juried art show and culinary evening at Boehringer. Sims started his volunteering with Hospice before the event was held at Boehringer's Ridgefield headquarters. In 1987 it was held at the Ridgefield High School, and it had a handful of artists and restaurants represented.

Today the art show attracts hundreds of volunteers, a hundred artists and dozens of restaurants.

Sims is a board member of the HORD Foundation, and he chairs the Fund Development Committee. He won Boehringer Ingelheim's President's Golden Achievement Award for Philanthropy in 2000, and he won the March of Dimes - Most Hardworking Committee member in 2008. He won the HORD Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Sims told the audience at Tuesday's breakfast, his parents instilled in him the motto, "to those much is given, much is expected."