The Novelli Award was instituted to honor the memory of L. Richard "Dick" Novelli, who died of cancer in 1993 while serving as the STOP-DWI Coordinator and Traffic Safety Director for Niagara County. Because of Dick’s role as an educator, the award is given to programs that further STOP-DWI and/or traffic safety principles through community education. Primary considerations are the program's impact on the community, the originality of the design, the incorporation of either STOP-DWI or traffic safety principles, and the adaptability of the program to other communities. Consideration is also given as to whether the program could be used regionally or on a statewide basis. Some previous honorees include school assembly programs, victim panels designed for high school students, special events designed to promote STOP-DWI or traffic safety programs where the designer or originator was a community member as opposed to an employee of a local program.
During the 2015 New York Highway Safety Annual Fall Symposium held in Binghamton, the Orange County STOP-DWI Program was recognized with the "Richard Novelli Award". Pictured from left to right: Chief Sal Trentanelli, NYS Traffic Safety Board President; Michele James, Vice-Chair of the NYS STOP-DWI Association and Christina Hale and John Jones of the Orange County STOP-DWI Program. Congratulations!