The Community Foundation of Boone County is honored to award the Lionel Dubay Youth Sports Award. This award was established in 1993 by Lionel Dubay‘s wife Gwen, his friends, and community donations to continue his legacy. Lionel was a vital parent & supporter of youth sports in Zionsville. He was an active member of multiple sports organizations including Little League & Youth Soccer Association, and was instrumental in starting pee-wee football in Zionsville.
Every year, this award recognizes someone who has made an ongoing commitment to Zionsville youth sports. The nomination form is open to the community to submit nominations, the CFBC Grants Committee reviews all applications, and determines the recipient who then pays it forward by selecting a nonprofit organization that benefits youth sports in the community to receive an unrestricted grant.
Year after year, it is demonstrated how blessed Zionsville is to have so many wonderful people pouring into our local youth through the several nominations received for this award. This will be the 21st award from the Lionel Dubay Youth Sport Fund, resulting in $8,000 being injected into Zionsville youth sports, in honor of Lionel.
As Lionel Dubay was involved in starting pee-wee football, it is only fitting that the recipient of the 2023 Lionel Dubay Youth Sports Award is Andrew Manna.
Manna has held numerous positions with Zionsville Youth Football League (ZYFL), including:
• Served as a ZYFL Recreational Football Coach for 6 years (2014 – 2019)
• Served as a ZYFL All Star Football Coach for 6 years (2014 – 2019)
• Served as a ZYFL Board Member for 3 years (2018 – 2020)
• Served as the ZYFL Board President for 2 years (2019 – 2020)
• Served as Zionsville Middle School All Star Coach for 3 years (2020 – 2022)
• Serves as the ZYFL Middle & High School Community Football Coordinator (2020 – Present)
• Serves as a ZYFL Board Consultant (2021 – Present)
Zionsville is lucky to count Andrew Manna as one of its many servant leaders working toward providing a positive and foundational experience to all youth athletes. Manna has modeled the way so clearly for all who follow in his footsteps, allowing each of us to achieve more. Because of him, we can cheer louder, throw farther, block better and score more. But more than that, we can call ourselves one team. One Zionsville. One Football Town. We are lucky to nominate him.
Outside of listing his roles, quantifying Manna’s contributions to the Zionsville youth sports community and ZYFL over the last decade is difficult. When asked, his nominators overwhelmingly focused on the unity and strength he has brought to every aspect of “football town”. According to Tyson Clemmer, ZYFL Board Member and former ZYFL Treasurer, “Through his efforts and the ongoing work of the ZYFL organization, the ZYFL program has experienced unprecedented growth in participation numbers.”
Manna has chosen to award the $500 grant from the Lionel Dubay Youth Sports Award Fund to the Zionsville Football Club (formerly ZYFL). In addition, Andrew Manna’s name will be added to the plaques honoring all recipients of this award, which are hung in Zionsville Town Hall.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF BOONE COUNTY
Since 1991, the Community Foundation of Boone County has granted more than $29 million from its various funds to nonprofit organizations and programs working to solve critical challenges in Boone County. Through the generosity of donors, the Community Foundation currently holds over $30 million in net assets. In the past 30+ years, we have worked with donors to create permanent funds for charitable giving. The establishment and growth of permanent endowment funds will strengthen Boone County for generations to come.