 Good afternoon everyone. I'm Michelle Goode the communications and public engagement director for the city of Fort Worth Please continue your lunch while we get our program started Welcome to the 18th annual Fort Worth neighborhood awards. I'd like to give a big. Thank you to our presenting sponsor Metta Fort Worth data center Thanks to Metta. We were able to offer this event free of charge to our neighborhoods And we would like to thank our venue sponsor ACH child and family services for this lovely space I'd like to ask the ACH Chaplain Kim Emery to deliver the invocation Well, thank you Michelle and thank you dot Kent for all of your support helping me Prepare for being here today. I want to thank all of you on behalf of ACH For choosing us to host this event It's a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate Something that we share in terms of values with all of you, which is community We couldn't do what we do here without what you guys do out in the community So we appreciate the support we get each and every day from all of you throughout the neighborhoods that you represent And so many other places here in Fort Worth I want to also mention that not only do all of us professionals here at ACH Thank you for showing your love to us by being here today But our kids do as well and so if you do not know our logo here at ACH is a set of hands kind of looks like that and Those represent helping hands and healing hands an idea all of you can probably connect very well with right? And so in the center of your table our kids have created for you these centerpieces Just to thank you for being here and to welcome you here into our space today So if you would I invite you to bow and prayer as we give a blessing for this meal and for the wonderful work that all of you are doing Gracious God who is called by many names You're a friend to all of us and So it is that we gather here as neighbors and friends and colleagues To share and to show our gratitude to those among us for the gifts they bring to our community gifts of compassion and service and Leadership that reflects your light towards us We ask that your light be seen in work that is done from the heart That your light be seen in work that meets true needs That your light be seen in the caring connection and collaboration that ennobles our human spirit These things we celebrate today in your presence and We ask also that you bless all those hands and hearts that took part in bringing this meal to our tables today That we may celebrate and joy Serve in health and share with all your people a full measure of the goodness. We have received May the spirit of compassion be the food from which all of our souls are fed man Thank You Kim. I hope everyone enjoyed the exhibit tables this morning and we're able to get some valuable information For those of you who are watching the program later You can visit the community engagement web page to download all of the information that was handed out by our exhibitors this morning We have several elected officials joining us today. Would you please stand? If you're Yes, thank you We have a councilmember Nettles councilmember Beck and mayor Parker and we also have our guest speaker today Leah King We have many city employees here today who serve our neighborhoods in different ways If they could stand to be recognized I Know we have code police There is one team that I'd like to recognize specifically and that's the community engagement team. Could they please stand? They helped organize today's exhibits awards and luncheon. It's Barry Cram Tracy Edwards Dot Kent Tabitha Butler and their new manager amethyst Sloan As you all know, we've lost several community engagement Members over the past year and so this small group I think did a great job of still holding today's event and allowing us to recognize our neighborhoods And now I'd like to ask amethyst to come up Nice to see you all the first thing I'm going to do is try to raise this mic a little bit So bear with me so you can hear see if I can do this correctly Okay, is that any better? Be okay in the back Okay, great. Thank you so much for having me. Welcome to this great event. I'm going to introduce myself a little bit I've been with the city for seven years, and I'm very excited to take on the role of community engagement manager here at the city My name and email address are in your program and my face is there too. So now you know what I look like So feel free to give me a call with any any challenges that you have Today's keynote speaker wears many community hats She serves on boards that make a difference in health care our water supply social services and more She's also handled marketing community relations and public affairs for large corporations But perhaps her own twitter account says it best Lover of peace fighter for equity proud army brat and believer that giving makes us all better Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome lea king president and ceo of united way of tarant county Thank you so much. It's so good to see everybody this morning. It's so cloudy So i'm going to try to bring some energy Into the room so we can not want to go and hibernate Which is kind of what I feel like doing the rest of the afternoon It's been so wonderful to be here to walk through some of the exhibits this morning To learn a little bit more about some of the work that you all are doing and i'm really excited to be here And uh and to see and meet more of the award winners And so let me just start off with uh with a quote that I think might be fitting for today Everybody can be great because anybody can serve You don't have to have a college degree to serve You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics and physics to serve You only need a heart of grace a soul generated by love And that beautiful quote is courtesy of the one and only dr. Martin Luther king jr And I think it's fitting for all of you who give so much and who serve Selflessly on a regular basis. So good afternoon. I'm lea king president and ceo of united way of tarrant county And it is my honor to be in your presence today The real and the true superheroes of our community You are the ones who really understand and know the value of leadership within your community and volunteerism And really investing your time Into each of your neighborhoods that you care about so deeply Because of the your work and dedication Our city continues to grow and continues to thrive and that's because You make that possible You give of yourself your time Probably frequently your money You're enticing others to get involved with you And you've been able to continue doing that throughout the last couple of years Which arguably have probably been some of the most challenging that any of us have lived through I mean, I don't know about you, but um, I don't did you ever think you would Be alive during the time that the words global pandemic were uttered For me that was something that was in the history books something we studied not something that we ever thought or or planned certainly to live through And and I remember about last year this time when it seemed that we were Starting to turn a corner just like it feels like we're starting to turn a corner again So i'll say the first time we turned the corner And just when we turned that corner then winter storm urie just for good measure came in and said oh by the way Somebody else is in charge here And and I never thought that I would See a time feel a time where The entire state really felt more like the frozen tundra in green bay So for all of my little all my sports fans out there, you know, we won't talk about the super bowl, right? And and and the thing that really Inspires me is that despite all of those obstacles despite all of those barriers Each and every one of you continued to do the work that you care about so deeply You continue to invest directly within your neighborhoods within your communities And and and you just didn't miss a beat you really doubled down on the work at that point And and that's what is so incredible here. So I want to share with you a little bit you heard in the In the intro that i'm i'm an army brat super proud army brat lived overseas for many many years and it really helped to ground and to to Put into me the love of service and the love of people and so that was something that was expected Within our family many people in our family are members of the military And or retired and so that was my my life and how I was brought up And and because we moved around a lot. I never really felt necessarily connected to any one community I By the time I got comfortable met some people It was time to go again and there were times that I changed schools Not just once in a school year, but multiple times in a school year And so, you know, you never really feel grounded and so what my what my parents Worked to instill was listen as you go to this new school this new community You are the uncommon one like you're not the one who Blends in with everybody. You're always the new girl. You're always going to be that different student because One day you're there and literally three months later. You might be gone. And so remember you are uncommon And so that Stuck with me and continues to stick with me just throughout my my life my personal and professional life And I know the work can have a lot of different connotations But the context that I want to use that word uncommon today Is all about each of you Because it's your uncommon dedication Your uncommon commitment Your uncommon collaborations And your uncommon pride in this city That makes each and every one of you uncommon I mean like why else would you voluntarily spend your free time? Maybe not so free time Your money Doing the things that you do It's because you're uncommon Your commitment reminds me of the way this thing feels like it's sliding down So i'll make sure I continue to project. Maybe it's my imagination But your commitment really reminds me of the way that we do things at united way And i'm going to share a little bit of commonalities that I see between the work that you do And how we do it because I think a lot of people are probably familiar with united way You've heard the brand but you may not know exactly what it is that we do or why we do it So let me walk you through it What so so we we spend time first identifying what challenges exist And we do that through a really in-depth and comprehensive research Where we touch literally every zip code within our county and we visit with people speaking with them one on one Speaking in focus groups through surveys really doing our best to gather as much information as possible And we do this because when you think about some of the challenges that exist within our respective communities It's not realistic to think that we can do it as an organization by ourselves But it is realistic to know that together working with city leadership county leadership hospital systems Education institutions that we can all together really start to make a dent in the root causes Of some of these systemic issues. We know ultimately that we're stronger together And so it's up to us once we have gathered that information to then share it And we want to be sure that we start informing others What the data is saying Because that helps to inform all of our investment decisions and all of our Priorities in how we allocate resources throughout the community So it for us once we have that information and we share it It might mean us working on programs ourselves. We have a mission united program that's focused on military and veterans I'm surprised surprise We have a volunteer income tax assistance program that helps families that earn less than 60 000 a year to get their taxes prepared for free It might mean collaborating with other organizations and nonprofits such as Community frontline or catholic charities meals on wheels a number of organizations that we work with routinely You know the the point that that I want to get across here is much like the way that we conduct our work It seems that you do the same thing whether you are writing and designing a newsletter for your neighborhood If you have a weekly exercise class that you put on for the community If you're raising awareness of what it means to live a life of value If you're a person that has some type of disability While you're generally making an impact and making critical changes to the neighborhood to ensure that the overall quality of life Is available for anyone and everyone who lives there You've identified that opportunity to make your neighborhood and your community better Because maybe you saw it. Maybe someone told you about an issue But you did that research piece And so I like that there's that synergy among the way that we operate and the way that each of you operates on a day to day basis You probably told other people about what those challenges are You certainly invited people to come alongside you and to help to get involved To pitch in and say we all live here as neighbors. We're really committed to make this the best neighborhood possible And and you took all of that and then you put those words That learning that understanding into action and that's what has you seeded here today Because of the actions that each of you took that you cared enough to take Has brought you to this place where now you're up forward, which is just phenomenal So for all of those reasons All of us here Want to say thank you And thank you not just for the work that you've done this year But over the last couple of years particularly for not giving up not throwing in the towel when uh all kinds of Gathering obstacles Came into place You know, I don't know that there's another time that we can think back to in modern history that um Is similar to to now and we've lived in a time where uh our worlds have been Really disrupted and flipped upside down and and and some of our neighbors have been left a little bit in disarray But with your involvement and engagement. They know that they're not going to be Left alone and left behind and so I just want to say this your dedication your perseverance as community leaders Serves as proof that thriving communities and welcoming neighborhoods Is a real thing in Fort Worth And that would not be the case if it weren't for each and every one of you seated here today So let's continue To use our combined strength our combined resources our combined energy To reach further To reach higher Let's continue to forge ahead Let's all continue to be uncommon And thank you for everything Everything that you do to make our city the city of fort worth the greatest city that it can be Thank you so much. Have a great day Thank you so much for those inspiring words and for joining us today um The city of fort worth created the neighborhood awards to recognize you And the best projects and activities that bring us together Today we will recognize outstanding work by HOAs and neighborhood associations in each of the categories We will also give four individual awards And then name Fort Worth's neighborhood of the year A panel of judges from area municipalities review the nominations and chose today's winners and we thank them for their time Our first awards recognize the need for good communication Newsletters are judged on content and appearance as well as how well they reach their intended audience As I announced your names With the editor or an officer from the association, please come to the left of the stage To receive your award and then remain for a group photo in the HOA category Arcadia park estates Dorado ranch and park glenn Are the neighborhoods we're recognizing today So if an editor or an officer from each of those would please go over to the left of the stage for a picture and receive your award Let's give them a round of applause While they're having their picture taken we will announce the um The winners from the voluntary association newsletter award winners and those are berkeley place Carter riverside oakhurst And ridgely north And if you all could come over to the left and get your awards and have your picture taken with mayor parker congratulations Just a little bit more about the the newsletters that were recognized these associations produce four to twelve newsletters a year Costs are covered by member dues or advertising The articles include updates on traffic issues in the neighborhood Meeting notices and photos from community events Some are mailed others are emailed Some posted online and some are still distributed door-to-door to neighbors A reminder to all newsletter editors that the information that you receive in the community Engagement bulletin each week has articles that you can share with your neighborhoods Free of charge if you want to receive it and you don't please let us know Congratulations again to our newsletter winners Now i'd like to invite um mayor maddie parker to come up and announce the rest of our winners Oh, wow, we've got a lot of microphone issue here Um, you'll do okay. Are we excited to be here? Thank you so much for coming So, um, i'm joined by my fellow council members and we're going to give our fellow council members That aren't here a hard time So y'all may just have to stand in when they're not here for their awards sound good Elizabeth beth and chris nettles are both with us Truthfully, this is one of the most fun parts we get to do Um is really thank neighborhoods for making fort worth so special and so great Um, this is why fort worth continues to be successful. This is why we're the fastest growing city in the country It is not all the fancy things and economic development It's because when people get to be in fort worth they feel something different They feel your communities and your neighborhoods are so significant and unique and so for that I'm just incredibly thankful to be a part of today I also would be remiss if I didn't thank again a ch child and family services This is a special place. Raise your hand if you already knew about a ch before today About half of you I want you to understand the significant work that they're doing importantly for our children that live in foster care And children looking for a forever home Our oldest was adopted at 10 and I would have been lost if it hadn't been for a ch helping our family navigate those very difficult years Dr. Wayne Carson is probably the best leader. I can think of quite frankly in the country Especially when it comes to these services. So give them a round of applause for making this beautiful facility available to us And then we have to thank katie With with facebook. Thank you for being here. She flew all the way from atlanta to be with us And andrea, where'd you go? Thank you so much for making this happen. You represent fort worth so well with meta Thank you both for making this possible. We're incredibly proud We know that they have a physical precedence in our city, but also to continue to give back They are amazing corporate citizens I can't think of a time. I haven't called To their team to say we need something and sometimes within 24 hours and you guys have stepped up in big ways So thank you for that. We really do appreciate it Our next award goes to the foot worth pride award and it's given to an organization that improves physical aspects of their neighborhood Neighborhoods in this category may have completed beautification projects cleanups community gardens or worked with code compliance And other departments to make their neighborhood cleaner and more attractive in the HOA category judges choose just one finalist So they're also our winner in north fort worth east of i35 was the heritage homeowners association Councilmember moon join us for photo. Oh wait, kerry's not here So it's going to be me, but honestly, how many of you know alisha get to work with alisha come on up here We're going to take a photo And of course councilmember firestone it also sends his congratulations He couldn't be here either. He and I have competing sporting events today with kids So we will pass each other three times that game on I think today is how that will work Come on up here. Please alisha And you're gonna what's that Sammy, where are you? Sammy roops here, too How many how many people have been saved by sammy roof on occasion, right? Many times over. I know absolutely Okay, while they're taking the pictures. I will tell you a little bit more about our winner A couple of high school students wanted to plant trees in barksdale park to beautify the area and bring the community together They presented their idea to the public improvement district seven advisory board After getting the thumbs up Kate Guerrero and her friend london bull apply to the city's neighborhood tree planting program The city forester approved 25 free container trees and park and recreation helped identify the best places to plant Heritage recruited more than 50 volunteers who got a crash course in tree planting with irrigation provided by the PID Residents now look forward to enjoying a shadier pathway through the park this summer. Congratulations to heritage HOA In the voluntary association category, there are three finalists Please please stand at your tables as I announce your names in east fort worth as historic stop six They worked with their neighborhood patrol officer to stop 18 wheelers from driving through residential streets They collaborated with the city to bring park improvements tree planting and resolve many zoning issues And they recruited volunteers from neighborhood schools faith-based and scout groups for ongoing cleanups in rosedale plaza park. Congratulations. Thank y'all very much And in west fort worth we have the lake komo neighborhood advisory council The neighborhood work, please stand. Thank you The neighborhood worked with lake komo cemetery association to revive the community's 80 plus year old cemetery More than 150 community and professional volunteers cleaned landscaped repaired fencing and navigated the texas historic commission That is not easy with all their roles to recognize this as a historic cemetery. Congratulations to you all as well And also in west fort worth we have the monicello neighborhood association These neighbors expanded their commitment to a greener monicello By doing significant fundraising installing an irrigation system refurbishing worn-out turf And adding some really big trees to the monicello park shade canopy. Congratulations monicello And our winner here today is lake komo neighborhood. Congratulations komo You want to come on up? Congratulations Y'all come on up for a picture if you don't mind Ella also gets best dressed award as usual, right? Yeah Of course come on in In 2020 lake komo identified historic sites in need of revival or restoration in the neighborhood Number one on the list was the lake komo cemetery on helmick avenue The 80 year old african-american cemetery was overgrown and in disrepair It was a big job. So komo created three separate committees Amends lawn care and maintenance task force tackled brush clearing Tree trimming and fence repairs and now does regular mowing A women's beautification and hospitality auxiliary Decorates for holidays throughout the year Including flowers on mother's day flags on veterans day and colorful ribbons on juneteenth Last fall bilingual announcements invited all to a first-ever Multicultural celebration on all souls day A third committee created a master preservation plan They worked to map and inventory headstones Identify unmarked graves using radar and confirm Confirm birth and death records Their long-term goal is establishing a descendants group to support the cemetery's ongoing preservation The culmination of these efforts is a texas historic commission designation And a newfound sense of community pride and neighborhood engagement Congratulations to lake komo Our next award is the spirit of fort worth award which is given to associations that foster social revitalization Enhanced cultural aspects of the neighborhood or just simply make residents feel welcome and connected Will the hoa finalists, please stand in north fort worth heritage hoa Launched freedom fest a huge outdoor celebration for the community After canceling its fourth of july picnic in 2020 Heritage created an even bigger event in 2021 not just for heritage residents But for neighborhoods neighbors throughout the city who were tired of being cooped up by kovid In southwest fort worth. We have hulan heights hoa revamped all of its 2021 social events because of kovid For example, instead of a crowded easter egg hunt residents followed a socially distanced easter parade route Halloween trick-or-treating was reimagined as a family costume parade And in far north fort worth. We have cindera ranch hoa partnered with nearby church for a back to school celebration The goal was to meet residents need to socialize and reconnect after isolation during kovid 19 By offering something for all ages event participation more than doubled than in previous years And the winner this year is hulan heights hoa. Congratulations to hulan heights Congratulations, of course hulan heights uses a portion of resident dues to put on year-round social events in 2020 they were all cancelled In 2021 they did some reimagining The annual egg hunt became an easter parade with children collecting eggs from in front of homes along a one mile parade route For halloween children dressed up for a costume parade with families walking together The event attracted 150 folks and no one got sick The annual holiday decorating contest was renamed hulan heights homes for the holidays Residents were encouraged to drive around and vote online for their favorite decorations They're already planning for next year when they'll add collection boxes for donations to a local food pantry Congratulations hulan heights Okay, our next category is the voluntary association category Please stand as I call your respective neighborhood in east fort worth. We have carter riverside The association opened a bike shop in a box a 20 foot shipping container Outfitted with tools and gear to keep the neighborhood's bike gangs rolling Every saturday volunteers make bike repairs offer free bikes and helmets and organize rides pretty awesome Located in northeast fort worth. We have garden of eden the association organized the cleanup after the Wright's family home was destroyed by a fire Please stand By partnering with city departments and a local waste hauler volunteers were able to safely clean up all the burn debris in just one day Oakhurst neighborhood association in east fort worth after cancelling social events in 2020 Oakhurst held five outdoor events in 2021 eastern in the park july 4th October october fest. That's cute trunk retreat and santa in the park by gearing events to children and adults The association is attracting more young families as members In southeast southwest fort worth just outside the loop. We have wedgewood square This association also navigated covet challenges to hold four events Including the meet the candidates night that offered a zoom option for those who couldn't attend in person The first responders appreciation picnic that drew the largest donations and attend attendance ever And on the near east side west meadowbrook Their national night out event helped residents avoid covet exposure while exposing them to the new rebe carry youth library By partnering with the library and other groups. They attracted their most diverse crowd ever and the winner this year is west meadowbrook Congratulations They were also put up with a very Anxious five-year-old at their national night out. Thank you very much for that. We appreciate that that would be lanie parker Who joined me for a few national night out events With its national night out attendance lagging in recent years west meadowbrook knew they had to do something different So they chose a new venue rebe carry park next to the neighborhood's new library After working alone for years west meadowbrook reached out to form new partnerships In addition to the library they asked three nearby schools Two churches and several businesses to help promote the event provide signage and giveaways and recruit volunteers The result attendance was up significantly and the crowd better reflected the diversity of the neighborhood Old timers residents of color spanish speakers and young families Congratulations to west meadowbrook The civic engagement and community collaboration award recognizes neighborhoods that partner with others to tackle significant or creative initiatives They may work with city staff elected officials schools businesses or other neighborhoods and civic groups to bring about positive change to their neighborhood as a city as a whole In the hoa category our first finalist is fossil creek estates in northwest fort worth They worked with neighbors in bonds ranch dorota ranch and the north fort worth alliance you could stand please To launch a petition drive and successfully fight a zoning change that residents believed would have altered their neighborhood In northeast fort worth heritage hoa for their trunk or treat event They collaborated with an area church the boy scouts and local businesses to put on a community event aimed at letting kids be kids As the pandemic dragged on And the winner is fossil creek estates. Sammy, would you come up and join us too? Fossil creek estates is an equestrian community with a two to five with two to five acre lots that have plenty of room for horses Neighbors learned of a proposed zoning change that would have allowed a large apartment complex across the street from the pastoral community The hoa contacted their councilperson and city staff to learn more about the project Then volunteers alerted neighbors on facebook Others circulated petitions door to door by teaming up with Nearby neighborhoods and the north fort worth alliance. They attracted a large group to make their case at city hall Congratulations fossil creek There are three finalists in the voluntary neighborhood category Please stand as i call your respective organizations in northeast fort worth We have garden of eden members assisted ut arlington and its research on historic black settlements in the dfw area Providing documentation historic records oral histories and even recipes In southwest port worth. We have greenway Neighbors partnered to provide a variety of supports to neighbors in need including home repairs for the elderly scholarships for college-bound students and a holiday gift distribution And in south port worth. We have wedgewood square They partnered with wedgewood east south hills south police a neighborhood church community center library garden club and businesses To put on a huge covet safe neighborhood night out and the winner is greenway councilmember nettles. Will you please join us too? Greenway volunteers worked with the six eight project and habitat for humanity on home maintenance issues that are affecting neighbors safety and well-being At no cost to families. They fixed water leaks broken faucets and toilets Replaced unsafe decking and fences and helped elderly residents with house cleaning and yard work They're loving and empowering our neighbors project uncovered other needs in the community So the association sought out additional partners and donations to pack and deliver food boxes Give students scholarships and distribute holiday gifts for children Congratulations greenway Now to voluntary associations for health and wellness The finalists are garden of eden for their 17th annual 5k run and one mile walk The theme of their sanctioned run was the push through covet 19 Greenway neighborhood association for collaborating with partners to provide convenient covid vaccine clinics right in the neighborhood And west meadowbrook for its walk and roll Celebrating the completion of sidewalks around oakland park that now provides students a safe route to school And the winner is greenway neighborhood association Sorry y'all I should have given you a hint to stay right there Greenway sought to provide education and build trust in the community about the benefits and safety of covid vaccines And make them more accessible many in the predominantly african-american and hispanic communities Found it difficult to register online or get a vaccine because of technology and transportation barriers The neighborhoods worked with nearby churches The 6-8 project and best value pharmacy Set up four vaccination clinics in the neighborhood Volunteers publicized them door to door with flyers announcing anyone who got a vaccine would get 10 dollars and be entered In a drawing for a hundred dollar gift card After more than 140 residents got vaccines and shared their positive experiences with others Greenway organized three more clinics. Congratulations greenway The next award honors a significant effort to help promote health and wellness safety exercise and recreation All of which lead to a better quality of life with just one finalist in this hoa category. The winner is heritage hoa sami, would you please join us up here too? sami and alicia thank you Heritage homeowners association has a swim team Noted as the hurricanes the team is open to swimmers of all ages and abilities Including those with special needs in 2021 the team had 243 members To keep registration fees low the team depends on fundraising Volunteers solicit donations put on an annual charity event and organized swim meets several swimmers who've Also become lifeguards at the pool say the team has taught them valuable leadership and communication skills too Congratulations heritage hoa Now we're going to move into some of our individual awards I want to remind you that these folks were not nominated by city council or staff by members of the community They serve which is all of you We begin with the award name for former city councilmember danie scarth Sadly we lost councilmember scarf last november but his legacy of public service inclusion and kindness absolutely continue The danie scarth trailbrowser award recognizes someone who in their everyday life Raises awareness and makes real changes that improve opportunities for persons with disabilities And the finalists are elaine close a local advocate for mental health intellectual and developmental Disabilities as a long time volunteer board member and chair of the mhmr tarant county board of trustees She has pushed for legislation and funding at the local state and national levels She currently volunteers with the center for transforming lives Helping young homeless children who face a higher percentage of mental health and developmental issues And our second nominee is the husband and wife team of anderson and dorthy lambkin Who serve the deaf community as interpreters and translators? Every week they use american sign language to share worship and funeral services at area churches Or assist individuals in their personal lives the cost of interpretation prevents many from seeking help But the lambkins volunteer their time and transportation so individuals with hearing challenges have access to better jobs Can communicate with their doctors and seek comfort in worship? And the winner is elaine close my own neighbor. Congratulations elaine And elaine was nominated by tarant county judge glenn whitley who couldn't be with us here today. Congratulations elaine I can personally attest that elaine will bring you the latest and greatest information for Center for transforming lives. I've had many packages on my own front porch Um, she's always advocating which I really really appreciate it congratulations and dogs and dogs All right here Elaine has worked with countless social service education and government agencies providing a voice for many in tarant county During her time on the mhmr board. She focused on ensuring services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities On the workforce development board. She fought for job training and retraining programs and veterans disability services As an elected fortworth isd school board member She helped establish family resource centers to address the mental and emotional health of our students and their families Congratulations and thank you And our cities for worth code compliance officers Investigate documents ensure compliance with city codes Ordinances zoning regulations and it's not always the kind of work that endears them to neighbors Um, and unfortunately, but seriously, we actually had code officers this past year shot at so When you see a code officer give them a hug if they look like they want to hug or at least a Fist bump whatever they look comfortable with to say thank you for what they do Um, code compliance officer of the year recognizes an officer who handles the job courteously and efficiently While also maintaining positive customer service relationships This year's winner was nominated by not one but two neighborhoods Neighbors of jink and heights kept crested say their code officer explains things to neighbors instead of just writing citations They say he's compassionate and kind always falls up on cases and attends neighborhood events That same code officer serves eagle ranch They say he reaches out and builds relationships And that he's the reason more residents have joined the code ranger program Resulting in a safer more attractive neighborhood and our code officer of the year is kenneth mendez Is brandon Bennett here Brandon's not here is he okay Come on up kenneth We'd also like to invite neighbors from eagle ranch and jink and heights crest vige crest ridge to come up for a photo While i tell you more about officer mendez Last july while trying to rectify a chronic high grass complaint Code officer mendez and police officer rafael salazar Who's also here today. We're met with multiple rounds of gunfire from the homeowner Both officers work to protect the mowing crew as well as nearby neighbors. No one was hurt Once again, we want to congratulate and thank officer mendez Next we move to our neighborhood patrol officers otherwise known as mpo's who do all the things regular police officers do But oh so much more our mpo's also identify crime needs and neighborhoods They are assigned to they communicate with residents and business owners attend community meeting events and recruit volunteers for citizens on patrol They're often your most important link to the fourth police department. Will the finalist, please stand Doyle gilbert nominated by highland hills Officer gilbert checks on elderly residents in the neighborhood and plays a major role in helping neighborhoods feel safe positive community events such as cleanups and food giveaways Next is del mcneal Nominated by woodhaven in an area where 90 of the population lives in apartments Neighbors say officer mcneal gets to know apartment managers their properties and the residents Neighbors credit him with the overall security of the neighborhood And darin merrick nominated by carver ritter side Officer merrick Shares updates at association meetings answers neighborhoods calls and emails at all hours of the day Participates with citizens on patrol and attends every big neighborhood event Jesus navva nominated by garden of eden officer navva provides weekly crime reports alerting neighbors And businesses to trends such as theft of catalytic converters, which you know is a big problem right now He also answers neighborhood questions about their rights as citizens and attends neighborhood of social events david nickelson nominated by lake komo Neighbors say officer nickelson listens and takes action He's part of every community cleanup finds resources for street people in the area Helps school crossing guards at dangerous intersections and mentors youth at local schools rafael salazar nominated by eagle ranch In addition to regular duties officer salazar salazar provides neighbors organize outdoor social events to combine isolation during He was also part of the heroic effort with code officer mendez protecting the lawn crew and neighbors from gunfire Derek simpson nominated by park glenn Officer simpson takes neighborhood calls Addresses safety concerns and attends countless community events at park glenn elementary He commanded the attention of several hundred students at a safety presentation Neighbors say he's changed the way they view police And mike vargas nominated by wedgewood square Officer vargas helps ensure safety and security at all neighborhood events He also lets young people get a close-up look at his patrol car Removing the fear of law enforcement and cultivating inspiration and a sense of community Thank you all so much take one more stand all of you, please. We're nominated I think it's a true testament to do your work 24 hours a day and then be recognized by the neighbors that see you most often So congratulations for the nominations And our winner today is officer del mcneal Um, congratulations officer mcneal A few of us can relate to this. He could not be with us today He's got one sick baby and the other kiddo has sports competitions across fort worth And so they are dividing and conquering. Um, but we will make sure he understands how loved he is and we also know He's a super parent as our mpo. Um, I think chlorida porter from woodhaven neighborhood is here to accept the award on his behalf Neighbors say officer mcneal understands that woodhaven is made up of more than just homeowners They commend him for making connections with every apartment complex school business and the homeless to keep the neighborhood safe Officer mcneal is often seen directing school traffic and interacting with students and parents He and his family attend community events frequent local businesses and volunteer their time Officer mcneal serves on the woodhaven neighborhood association steering committee helping with important initiatives such as the 2020 census Residents say he is a caring human being a great leader and a friend to the community Congratulations to officer del mcneal our neighborhood patrol officer of the year chlorida just shared that she refers to him as son and he refers to her as mom So that must be a pretty sweet relationship there Come on up. Of course I will tell you A few months ago. I had to take a little trip to the hospital and someone had called And let him know that I was going to hospital. He got there before I got there And he said and he said I've come to see my mom and someone that came in they said You're you're black. I said, no He said no, I'm white. She's my mom. I'm her son We're gonna have some good stories to tell him after today, right? That's great And our final individual award today is the neighbor of the year This award recognizes an individual whose outstanding service has made a positive impact on people in their neighborhood The best candidate for this award is not necessarily an association officer or leader But more of an unsung hero of the community that we live in and will the nominees please stand as I call your name Okay, I'm gonna try here pru pru beacon var nominated by berkshire hoa pru chairs the welcome and communications committee for berkshire During the winter storm last year. She put out information Checked on neighbors even offered her home to those that electricity Neighbors say she's selfless and never asks for recognition Fran burns nominated by oakhurst Fran organizes this annual neighborhood garage sale, but her biggest job is chair of the beautification committee She recutes volunteers from the adoptive medium program and park cleanups Manages yard of the month and sees that flags are placed out for veterans day Rick herring nominated by carter riverside Rick took the lead on three zoning cases that could have been allowed for commercial or industrial encroachment near residential areas With his leadership neighbors successfully fought the changes rick has also worked tirelessly on redistricting maps to keep the community together Jerome johnson nominated by highland hills Jerome helped galvanize the community to fight several zoning changes He's also engaged with code compliance and police to keep the neighborhood clean and safe He's a longtime vocal advocate for highland hills Elizabeth and chris may nominated by wedgewood square In the neighborhood of streets that start with w Elizabeth started a wonder yard facebook page announced outgore gatherings She and husband chris organized to combat neighbors covet isolation Wonder yards events have included yard games food trucks even an outdoor olympics watch party And robert moeller nominated by arcadia park estates robert serves as a captain of the multi neighborhood citizens on patrol At a time when it's hard to get volunteers He recruited new members to keep the area safe because of his commitment to inclusion the neighborhood has a more diverse group of volunteers than ever And brinda sanders wise nominated by garden of eden Brenda has a knack for getting others involved and making volunteers feel fulfilled and motivated to do more She shares her knowledge and trains others to help grow new neighborhood leaders By collaborating with the city school and our neighborhoods. She just gets things done And thank you all for your service and dedication to the community and fort worth. Please. Please go down a round of applause And this year's winner is brinda sanders wise garden of eden While brinda's coming to the stage, let me tell you a little bit about her Residents say brinda is the neighborhood watchdog whose leadership and diplomatic skills benefit everyone When challenges arise whether serving as an officer or just a member. She's a motivator She empowers others by sharing what she knows For example, she recently tutored senior citizens on how to do zoom meetings during covet Leadership skills honed at the neighborhood level have led brinda to other community involvement With the tarrant county black historical and genealogical society The city's first african-american museum steering committee Reading mentor mentor at an elementary school And most recently she was sworn in as the first african-american elected to the birdville school board and to think It all began when she founded garden of eden neighborhood association brinda sanders wise our fort worth neighbor of the year And our final award today recognizes excellence in all of these categories Judges make their selection from among all of this year's finalists The community engagement office will send a representative from the winning neighborhood to neighborhoods usa national competition in little rock this may While looking out for the needs of their own members this year's neighborhood of the year also opened their doors to others Quoting from one of the judges This association has used its ample resources to create an unparalleled sense of community for its residents And the greater community they are actively creating a legacy of servant leadership generosity and a sense of place The 2021 neighborhood of the year is heritage homeowners association Congratulations to heritage Alicia want to come up with me here? judges also cited the magnitude and creativity of heritage hoa projects In july 2021 freedom fest grew from a residents only picnic and fireworks show To a large-scale event that attracted thousands from the entire area Heritage arranged live music food trucks bounce houses balloon artists and more Just three months later their trunk or treat attracted more than 3 000 people many from outside the neighborhood But judges say what really made heritage hoa's efforts award worthy was their inclusivity in planning every single project On halloween they intentionally partnered with a local church scouts and ethnic businesses to attract a diverse crowd They offered allergy-free treats and small prizes in addition to candy Their freedom fest activities were spread out at multiple locations for social distancing So heritage provided complimentary transportation from one event site to another They also offered activities for all ages and interests And as you've heard their swim team with nearly 250 members is open to everyone including those with special needs Heritage hoa is a well funded is well funded through a public improvement district that's supported by residents But residents chose to spend those funds on programs that reached far beyond their neighborhood After losing a year of social interactions to covet the neighborhood's mission was to give joy laughter and fun to as many as possible Mission accomplished. This is also the first time an hoa has received our neighborhood of the year So congratulations to heritage hoa This year's fort worth neighborhood of the year I think we're about wrapped up michelle. I don't think we're ready for the academy awards But I think we've done a decent job. Um, we also again have to thank lia king for spending your saturday with us today What a beautiful message to lia And I encourage all of you if you're not familiar with all the work that unitedway is doing Please do so their website is incredibly robust. You're coming up with on centennial celebration this year Which is incredibly exciting. There's so many ways to be involved We're in good hands with lia. Absolutely. Thank you to michelle goot and her entire team for putting together today I know how hard that you work in the middle of all these public meetings We're in the middle of redistricting bond elections neighborhood awards. You're always showing up So thank you and behind the camera. We see you too. Thank you so much Um, and then we got to thank facebook the metadata center for making today possible Um, we truly couldn't have done this without you and the food was delicious. Thank you I'm gonna turn it back over to michelle and and just thank y'all for the support as a new mayor of this awesome city This is incredibly exciting times for our community and we we are really working hard together to get this right We understand the future of Fort Worth is so bright if we continue to work together Today gives me so much hope for our community because of all of you making it possible So thank you very much for letting me be with you today We'd like to once again congratulate all the winners and thank mayor parker for participating in today's um award ceremony A big thank you again to our sponsor the meta data center of fort worth who allowed us to provide this once again Without any charge to the neighborhoods. We appreciate it Um, we have certificates here for all the finalists in every category. So please come and pick them up This awards program was also recorded And we have information on the table about how you can watch it and feel free to share that with your Neighbors so that they can watch the award ceremony tonight It will be on youtube fort worth tv and also on the community engagement web page We also have a photographer available if any neighborhood associations would like to have their picture taken after Um after today's ceremony. Thank you all for coming and look for an even bigger Gathering next year. We tried to keep it small because of covet and we knew people were still worried about Social distancing and being in large crowds, but we look forward to an even bigger and better awards Ceremony next year. Thank you