MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. - Lifelong Mount Kisco resident Linda Cindrich has been recognized as a 2025 Woman of Distinction for her decades of public service.
State Sen. Pete Harckham (D-40th District) presented her with the award during a special ceremony on Monday, Dec. 1, at the Village Board’s regular meeting.
Looking on proudly was her husband, Michael, who just happens to be Mount Kisco’s mayor.
“Linda Cindrich is truly an extraordinary individual, a super-volunteer who has had a positive impact on her community for more than 60 years,” said Harckham. “Her tireless commitment to numerous organizations has lifted opportunities for residents of all ages while nurturing and protecting them as well.”
The senator added that the Cindrich’s “friendship and support” meant a “great deal” to him, adding: “On a personal level, I know how big-hearted they are and how ready they are to step in where they are needed.”
Linda Cindrich is a long-standing member of the village’s Recreation Commission and has served as both its chair and vice chair, overseeing programs for seniors.
She has also volunteered at the Mount Kisco Senior Center for decades and, for the past 20 years, has helped prepare Thanksgiving dinners for homebound residents, often paying for and delivering the meals.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped ease their isolation by teaching televised art classes, which grew from simple drawings and paintings that grew to painting classes that are still ongoing.
Cindrich has been with the American Red Cross for more than 50 years. A certified First Aid and CPR instructor, she hosted classes for first responders, including police offices, firefighters, and ambulance corps members.
She is an EMT and a life member of the Mount Kisco Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
In 1982, Cindrich received the Red Cross’s Certificate of Merit, the highest award given to civilians, for saving the life of a drowning infant, Harckham said.
And the list goes on.
She worked at the Mount Kisco Elementary School, where she created an early childhood parent resource center, has served as president of the Mount Kisco Elementary School Association, and is a member of the Fox Lane High School Association’s Steering Committee.
Cindrich also coached Little League and the Fox Lane High School football cheerleading team.
A certified water safety instructor since the age of 17, she has taught hundreds of children and adults to swim.
Cindrich was, for several years, on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester where she still serves on its scholarship committee.
She has also been involved with the Mount Kisco Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club, American Legion Post 136 Women’s Auxiliary, the Women’s Association of St. Francis of Assisi, and the Italian American Club of Northern Westchester, where she served as president for many years.
The ceremony, which should have taken place last spring, had to be re-scheduled several times because of family commitments.
Every year every senator from all 63 districts picks a member of their community who’s made “amazing contributions,” Harckham said.
Calling Harckham “somebody who’s not just a senator to us but a very, very, very close friend,” Cindrich gave him a hug.
Back at’cha, Harckham said, noting that when he was going through a divorce many years ago, she worried constantly about him not eating enough.
“So I listened to her advice and I put on 40 pounds,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
Cindrich also thanked “all the people of Mount Kisco who have helped me along the way.”
Looking out into the audience, she acknowledged a pair of friends from the senior community and her son, Michael, who is a newly appointed captain with the Westchester County Police Department.
“But most of all, I want to thank my wonderful husband, who’s a pain in the neck sometimes, but who is always right there beside me and has been a mentor through all my 50 years of volunteering for Mount Kisco and for the American Red Cross, where I started by teaching water safety and first aid when I was just 17,” she said, adding that volunteering was something that she pursued because her mother had emphasized the importance of “giving back.”
“Many years later, I’m still happy to be helping and serving my community,” Cindrich said.
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