ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Starbridge Services hosted its annual Community Champion Awards on Wednesday at Comedy @ the Carlson. The award recognized people and organizations that create supportive communities for people with disabilities.

This year’s winners are Jane Gabriele, a special education attorney who pairs families with services; and Maria Rodriguez, a team leader with Meals on Wheels.

“This award is a beautiful recognition of the importance of making certain that our kids get a good education and that their families are tended to,” Gabriele said.

Rodriguez said: “It means the world to me. It shows me and empowers me that I’m showing everybody that they can do something for themselves. It makes me wake up every morning to come into my job to see their faces and their smiles, that they’re learning something new.”

Starbridge, which works with people with disabilities and their families to help them succeed, serves more than 14,000 families each year across the Finger Lakes region.