Three Local High School Seniors to Receive a
Richard E. Taber Citizenship Award Scholarship
from First County Bank Foundation

STAMFORD, CT, July 9, 2026 ─ First County Bank Foundation is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Richard E. Taber Citizenship Award scholarships. This annual award honors Fairfield County high school students who consistently demonstrate good citizenship at school, at home and in the community.

The program awards scholarships to three deserving students and is designed to recognize and encourage young people who are honest, hard-working and helpful. Each year, First County Bank Foundation accepts student applications from the beginning of the year until the end of April. The award is named after Richard E. Taber who retired as chairman and CEO of First County Bank in March 2011. It is in recognition of Taber’s 40-plus-year career at the bank and innumerable contributions to the community.

Each of the following students were chosen to receive a $5,000 Richard E. Taber Citizenship Award scholarship: Mariella Patricia Graceffa of Fairfield, attended Fairfield Warde High School, and will attend the University of Wisconsin, majoring in Animal and Vet Biosciences; Jake Shufro of Westport, attended Staples High School and will attend Claremont McKenna College, majoring in Political Science, and Alessandra Tuccillo of Fairfield, attended Fairfield Ludlowe High School and will attend Boston University, majoring in Psychology.

 

Willard Miley (far left), President and COO of First County Bank and Vice President of First County Bank Foundation; Mariella Patricia Graceffa of Fairfield, with Nitin Mhatre, CEO of First County Bank and President of First County Bank Foundation, Jake Shufro of Westport, and Richard E. Taber, Honorary Director, First County Bank (far right).

 

Nitin Mhatre (right), CEO of First County Bank and President of First County Bank Foundation, Alessandra Tuccillo of Fairfield, and Willard Miley (left), President and COO of First County Bank and Vice President of First County Bank Foundation.

 

“Each year we continue to be impressed by the high-level of leadership, academic achievement and volunteerism demonstrated by the Richard E. Taber Citizenship Award applicants. Their hard work and commitment to community should make us all proud,” stated Nitin Mhatre, CEO, First County Bank and President, First County Bank Foundation. “Congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients. We wish them much success in the future.”

To learn more about First County Bank Foundation and the Richard E. Taber Citizenship Award Scholarship, please visit the Bank’s website.

 

About First County Bank Foundation

Established in 2001 in honor of the Bank’s 150th anniversary, First County Bank Foundation was created to distribute funds annually to nonprofit organizations that support community and economic development, affordable housing, and programs that support quality of life and educational enrichment for children and families. As a mutual bank with no shareholders, First County Bank considers grants made by the Foundation a means of paying dividends back to the local communities it serves.

 

About First County Bank

First County Bank, headquartered in Stamford, Conn. for over 175 years, is an independent mutual community bank with 13 branches in Stamford, Norwalk, Darien, Greenwich, Fairfield, New Canaan and Westport offering deposit products, mortgages, wealth management, business banking services, and a full array of digital banking products. First County Bank has 200 employees, assets in excess of $2.3 billion, and is a winner of the Hearst Connecticut Top WorkPlaces Award 2020-2025. For additional information, please visit www.firstcountybank.com, or follow us @Firstcountybank on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.