President's MedalThe Reverend James and Sue Adams
As a young couple, The Reverend James and Sue Adams moved to Geneva to serve the parish of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, and through their guidance, outreach, creativity and faith, the church has become a leading force of civic progress and unity. In 1986, they launched Neighbors' Night, a program that today welcomes between 50 and 100 local children every Wednesday evening for a hot meal and activities with HWS students and neighborhood volunteers. The Adams established children's choirs at St. Peter's open to all in the community and, in 2005, founded St. Peter's Community Arts Academy, a non-profit organization that has been serving the greater Geneva area with enrichment programs, workshops and instruction in music, visual and performing arts for all ages and abilities. They are also co-directors of Lake Delaware Boys' Camp in Delhi, N.Y., and are frequent partners with Hobart and William Smith on community service events, modeling for students what civic duty looks like in action.