January 29, 2015
ALBANY — Albany civic leaders honored a handful individuals and organizations working to make Albany and Dougherty County a great place to live and work at the first ever Community Heroes Recognition Luncheon held Wednesday at the Albany Museum of Art.
Presented by Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission (EDC) as part of the “There’s Only One Albany” marketing campaign, the Community Heroes luncheon gave the organization a chance to salute individuals and organizations that have a positive impact on the community.
According to EDC President Justin Strickland, the purpose of There’s Only One Albany is to restore pride in the community and highlight the positive things about Albany and Dougherty County. The Community Heroes campaign grew out of that initiative to showcase those people, businesses and non-profits that are a source of pride.
“We know that heroes don’t all leap tall buildings or stop runaway trains,” said Strickland. “Sometimes they do simpler but still noble things like starting businesses or non-profits, teaching kids or fulfilling a need or a void in the community. Today we honor those individuals and organizations within the Albany community who are working to make our city and county an even more special place to live.”
That feedback Strickland was referring to was the open nomination process the EDC and There’s Only One Albany conducted last fall where the community was invited through OnlyOneAlbany.com to nominate and vote for people and groups they felt were making a difference in the community in a various categories.
Winners were selected in the categories of “Molding Minds” (Education), “Preserving Progress” (Community Service), “Strengthening Wellness” (Health care), “Young Trailblazer” (Youth 18 and under), “Exciting Imagination” (Arts), “Protecting Prosperity” (Local Business), “Serving a Purpose” (Non-Profit Organization), and “Overall Crusader” (Overall) by a selection committee based on certain criteria.
Those winners were announced at Wednesday’s luncheon where short videos about each winner were presented to the audience.
The “Molding Minds” award was presented to Sherwood Christian Academy Elementary School Principal Jill Johnson; the “Strengthening Wellness” award was given to Phoebe Putney Registered Nurse Gewndolyn Jones Collins; the “Exciting Imagination” award was given to violinist and Dougherty and Westover high schools orchestra teacher Alexander Reshetnichekno; the “Preserving Progress” award was given to Albany Elite Sports Director Earnest Brown Jr., the “Serving a Purpose” award was presented to former Albany Advocacy Resource Center Director Annette Bowling; the “Young Trailblazer” award was given to 18 yr. old volunteer Jawaun Stanley; the “Protecting Prosperity” award was presented to Dougherty County’s largest employer Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany; and the “Overall Crusader” award was presented to Resora New Communities at Cypress Pond Development and Hospitality Director and marching band and recruiting mentor Danielle Blackwell.
Each winner was presented with a Community Heroes award trophy as well as a $100 gift card for use at any Stewbo’s Restaurant Group restaurant and a variety of There’s Only One Albany merchandise, including shirts, hats and lapel pins.
More importantly from the standpoint of the event hosts, each Community Hero was given recognition for “going above and beyond” to make a positive impact in the community.
“Our (award winners’) hard work and dedication has helped us restore pride in our community and really embody the sentiment, there’s only one Albany,” said Strickland. “(The Community Heroes) are what makes Albany a beautiful place to live and a great place. Through this campaign it’s come back countless times the greatest asset we have in Albany and Dougherty County is our people.”
To learn more about There’s Only One Albany and to see the profile videos of each Community Hero visit OnlyOneAlbany.com.
Tags: Albany, Choose Albany, georgia, There's Only One Albany
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