This year marks the inauguration of the Frances Crowe Award, named for the longtime Northampton peace and anti-war activist, who passed away last year at the age of 100. The honor is part of the Daily Hampshire Gazette’s annual awards in partnership with the United Way of Hampshire County. Nominations for the Frances Crowe, Person of the Year, and Young Community Leader awards are being accepted now until Sept. 9.
The awards series dates back to 2015, with the launching of the Person of the Year honor. In addition to Crowe, past recipients include Jack Finn, founder of the A2z Science and Learning Store; Yvonne Freccero, an advocate for the homeless and past president of Friends of Hampshire County Homeless Individuals; and Barbara Black, early childhood coordinator for Northampton Public Schools. The Young Community Leader honor, launched in 2017, was awarded last year to Felicia Fil of Hopkins Academy.
“The United Way of Hampshire County and the Daily Hampshire Gazette have a history of coming together and recognizing community members, and even under the constraints of COVID-19, we felt it was important to continue that tradition,” said Stephanie Hadley, sales operation director for the Gazette.
John Bidwell, executive director of United Way of Hampshire County, said he thinks both organizations that “have a finger on the pulse of their communities,” which is ideal for acknowledging people who are doing work that positively impact the lives of others.
“This area has a big heart, and a lot of that goes unseen,” he said, adding that he hopes the awards “shine a light” on community organizers and leaders who are unsung heroes.
After Crowe received the Person of the Year award last year, United Way of Hampshire County and the Gazette decided to honor her legacy by the creation of an award in her name, Hadley said.
“We’re really trying to find someone who is just as inspiring and leads the next generation of change makers, whether that’s through anti-war, education, low-impact environmental causes or advocating for women and children.”
Caltha Crowe, the activist’s daughter, is part of the committee that will decide who receives the first award in honor of her mother.
“I think it’s very exciting and think it’s something that Frances would have been proud of,” said Crowe, 73, who lives in Colorado. “Frances is a person who never wanted to draw attention to herself. For her, it was about the work and the cause, not about her. Anything she could do to inspire people to prevent war, care for the environment, to take care of the rights of women and children would have been things that she would have been very happy about.”
The Person of the Year award winner will receive a $500 prize, half of which will be donated to a charity of their choice. The Young Community Leader award recipient will be granted a $250 award, half of which will be donated to a charity of their choosing. For the Frances Crowe Award, a $500 donation will be given to the winner’s cause of choice.
To submit a nomination, visit pvnews.survey.fm/gazette-person-of-year-2020. Winners will be announced Oct. 1 via a virtual event hosted by the Gazette and the United Way of Hampshire County.
Chris Goudreau can be reached at cgoudreau@gazettenet.com.