Hampshire County is full of people who better their communities every day – and you can help give them the recognition they deserve, with prize money attached.
The Daily Hampshire Gazette, with the Greenfield Recorder and United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region, is looking for nominations for this year’s Person of the Year and Young Community Leader awards.
The Person of the Year award celebrates a Hampshire County resident who has gone above and beyond to contribute to their community. (The Recorder has a separate nomination for Franklin County Citizen of the Year.)
Last year, the Person of the Year award went to Dave Wintsch, who started the Hampshire County chapter of the Christian youth organization Young Life several decades ago. In 2024, it went to Lee Anderson, who at the time ran the kitchen and outreach programs at Manna Community Kitchen in Northampton, and in 2023, it went to Shawn Robinson, director of vocational services at ServiceNet.
The Young Community Leader award is given to a Hampshire or Franklin County resident between the ages of 15 and 22 who has contributed to their community through volunteer work, civic engagement and the like.
Last year’s winner was University of Massachusetts Amherst student Prachi Dayal, who was recognized for her work helping survivors of domestic violence as a legal intern at Safe Passage. In 2024, the award went to Four Rivers Charter Public School student Sam Whitney, who organized a pickleball tournament for an afterschool program that helps low-income kids. In 2023, the award went to Smith Academy graduate Hadley Szynal, who was president of her high school class and longtime member of her school’s student council.
In a statement, Gazette publisher Shawn Palmer said, “Although the annual Person of the Year and Young Community Leader awards bear the Gazette’s name, they are a true partnership with the community. We rely on the nominations we receive to highlight those among us doing truly great work. Although many of the nominees’ names are familiar, there are often nominees, and even winners, whom we were not aware of until their neighbors raised them up.”
Each winner will receive $500, half of which they will keep and half of which will go to a charity of their choice.
Nominations must be received by Friday, May 1, and can be submitted through Google Forms linked at the top of gazettenet.com. Representatives from the Gazette, the Recorder, and United Way will select the winners.
Winners will be announced on Thursday, June 11, at the Annual Celebration of the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Region. If a Franklin County resident wins the Young Leader Award, they will also be honored at the Franklin County Chamber’s Legislative Breakfast on Friday, June 19.
