Goodwill Manasota has announced the honorees for the 2024 Community Ambassador of the Year awards that recognize advocates and supporters in the areas of veterans services, leadership, and partnership.
The honorees:Janine “Mama” Lutz, Veteran Advocate of the Year: Lutz is a social rights activist, public speaker, businesswoman, philanthropist, and founder of the LCpl Janos V Lutz Live to Tell Foundation – created in honor of her son, Johnny, after his death in 2013 due to pharmaceutical-induced suicide. Lutz is a voice for the betterment of the lives of active military, veterans, first responders, and their families and has brought national attention to the suicide epidemic among these groups. Her Lutz Buddy Up social clubs connect hundreds of participants locally.
Cliff Walters, Community Leader of the Year: Walters, a principal of Blalock Walters, P.A., is a legal adviser in Manatee and Sarasota counties with an extensive record of community service. Walters has served as past president or chair of several charitable, cultural, and education institutions, including Goodwill Manasota, the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, Manatee United Way, and the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art Foundation. He has received the Edgar H. Price, Jr. Humanitarian Lifetime Achievement Award; Lifetime Achievement Award, Manatee County Bar Association; Distinguished Leadership Award, Leadership Manatee; and previous recognition as a Goodwill Community Ambassador of the Year.
All Faiths Food Bank, Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, Community Partners of the Year: Goodwill Manasota is a longtime partner of All Faiths Food Bank and Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, collecting nonperishable food items at all of its donation locations for the benefit of these organizations. In 2023, Goodwill collected 233,166 pounds of food to assist neighbors in Sarasota and Manatee counties who are experiencing hunger.
All Faiths Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Sarasota and DeSoto counties, providing millions of meals each year in collaboration with more than 300 agencies and programs. Meals on Wheels PLUS assists individuals to live independently by providing nutrition and caring, supportive services such as home-delivered meals, the Food Bank of Manatee, the Daybreak Adult Day Center, and its Friendship Dining Centers.
The Community Partner of the Year Awards will be accepted by Nelle Miller, president and CEO of All Faiths Food Bank, and Maribeth Phillips, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee.
Rosinsky Achievement Award
Goodwill also will present a team member with the second annual Robert W. Rosinsky Achievement Award – made possible by the Louis & Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust. The "Rosy" award honors an employee who embodies the qualities and dedication to the Goodwill mission that 50-year Goodwill leader Rosinsky – who retired in June 2022 – brought to the organization.
“Goodwill Manasota invests significant effort into being a collaborative organization – building upon established relationships and creating new partnerships – because we believe that, by working together, we can serve even more members of our community and do so more effectively," said Goodwill Manasota president and CEO Donn Githens. "This event is a wonderful time for us to gather to celebrate local leaders and advocates for their dedication, partnership, and service to our community.”
For more information, tickets and sponsorships, visit experiencegoodwill.org/events.
Submitted by Sharon Kunkel
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