It’s become a pre-spring ritual: The Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach is renewing its annual search for “Local Heroes.”
For the 17th consecutive year, the 100-member service club will honor outstanding individuals and an area business whose contributions make Ponte Vedra Beach a better place to live. The Club’s Local Heroes Awards cover six individual categories: Arts, Education, Environmental Service, Vocational Service, Volunteer Service and Youth. The Club’s corporate award recognizes overall service and contributions to the community.
The Ponte Vedra Recorder is co-sponsoring the Local Heroes program for the 11th consecutive year.
Nominations are now being sought. Any resident of Ponte Vedra Beach and Palm Valley is eligible to be nominated. The deadline for nominations is Monday, May 3; an entry form and details appear nearby.
As is traditional, winners will be announced Thursday, May 27, at a special evening meeting of Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary. Winners will then be featured in a special Recorder salute to appear in its Friday, May 28, edition.
“We are delighted to be the Rotary Club’s partner once again because Local Heroes is now long established as a great event and community tradition,” said Recorder publisher and Rotary Club member Vince Grassia. “The Recorder’s support itself is now a tradition, too. As the voice of Ponte Vedra and the Beaches, saluting those who enrich the lives of their fellow citizens is one of our primary responsibilities, and one we are delighted to shoulder,” Grassia added.
“We’re thrilled to have The Recorder’s support once again. It both ensures that our outstanding program gets ever stronger, and helps demonstrate our motto of ‘Service Above Self.’ ” said Dan Pickett, Rotary Club president. “Local Heroes is widely recognized as both a community celebration and our Club’s annual year-end highlight. The Recorder continues to help make that possible.”
The May 27 meeting begins with a social hour, followed by the Local Heroes presentations, which Rotary Club Past President Chuck Day will emcee, as he has since 1999. In keeping with tradition, the meeting agenda will include the announcement of the Club’s annual Rotarian of the Year.
Conceived by Ponte Vedra Beach resident and former Club member Victor DiGenti in 1993, the Local Heroes Awards have honored nearly 120 individuals and companies.
Like past winners, nominees are to be individuals who have performed extraordinary service in one of these categories:
Arts Award: an individual who has made a significant contribution to furthering appreciation for and support of artistic expression.
Vocational Service: an individual who, regardless of profession, best exemplifies the Rotary ideal of service in the workplace, who conducts business with high ethical standards and always strives for excellence in dealing with the public.
Environmental Service: an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to preserving the environment and to making our community a healthier place to live.
Educational Service: recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the education of our young people; nominees can be teachers, administrators or volunteers working in St. Johns County schools.
Youth Award: an outstanding young person under age 21 who has demonstrated impressive service as a volunteer with a group or as an individual.
Volunteer Award: an individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to helping others by direct volunteer service.
Corporate Award: a business or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the Ponte Vedra Beach community.
Both individuals and organizations may submit nominations, using the form that appears nearby for each nomination.
Completed forms should be sent by the May 3 deadline to:
Local Heroes Awards Committee
Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach
Post Office Box 70
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Download the nomination form here.
