NORTHAMPTON — Who is the area’s person of the year?
The Daily Hampshire Gazette, together with the United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region and the Greenfield Recorder, is calling for nominations for its annual Person of the Year Award and for the Young Community Leader Award.
The Person of the Year Award acknowledges a Hampshire County resident whose personal or professional work improves the quality of life for people in the Pioneer Valley.
Perhaps it’s someone out of the limelight like Lee Anderson, who was recognized last year for being a “humble superstar” through his work in the Manna Community Kitchen of Northampton.
Going back further, awardees have included Shawn Robinson, vocational services director at ServiceNet; Barbara Black, early childhood educator; Khama Ennis, associate director of Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s emergency department; and Robin Bialecki, executive director of the Easthampton Community Center.
Meanwhile, the Young Community Leader Award honors a person between the ages of 15 and 22 who lives in Hampshire or Franklin counties and has contributed to the community through community involvement, such as volunteerism, civic engagement or public participation.
The award last year went to Sam Whitney, a Four Rivers Charter graduate. Previous years celebrated the work of western Massachusetts student council leader Hadley Szynal, Smith College student Lilly Fellows, and Hopkins Academy student Christian Ciolkos.
“We are pleased to continue the tradition of recognizing those in our community who give selflessly of their time and talent to make the region a better place to live, play and do business.” said Gazette Publisher Shawn Palmer.
He added that “whether an accomplished Citizen of the Year, or a young person just beginning to show signs of community leadership, we want to shine a light on our neighbors who are doing exceptional work.”
Recipients received a prize of $500, half of which is donated to a charity of their choice.
Representatives from the Gazette, Recorder and United Way review the nominations and pick two people to honor at the United Way’s annual meeting at Look Memorial Park in June.
Nominations will remain open until April 25 and can be submitted online at gazettenet.com.
Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.
