Harold Tarver

Nominated by Margaret Fowke

I’m nominating Harold Tarver. Harold has served as volunteer Firefighter/EMT-B with Silver Spring Fire Department for over 15 years. Each week, he drives the volunteer ambulance, mentors new members and serves on the Board of Trustees. In addition, he holds full time job at USDA supporting economic development in disaster ravaged areas and is active in his church.

Foundation Padres & Ninos

Nominated by Deisy Arrechea

I would like to nominate Foundation Padres & Ninos for their endless efforts in helping parents and children in need. The foundation was created in April 2011 under the direction of Deisy Arrechea, and has been very active in serving families in areas like Texas, Colombia, and Mexico.

Its year-round toy and clothing drives and education initiatives have helped so many families. In 2011, the foundation worked hard to provide resources and tools for 97 parents to receive their GED. They also donated a bilingual book to the public library titled “Learn with Coquito,” an instructional book that helps parents do activities with their children.

In recent years, they worked with the Texas Children hospital to provide vaccinations for over 100 children ranging from 0 months to 18 years old. For the holidays, volunteers visit the hospital to bring gifts to children with cancer. And in Mexico and Colombia, the foundation donates toys, clothes, and money to children and families who go without the basic necessities on a day to day.

Foundation Padres & Ninos has a mission to help vulnerable children around the world because every day we see that they are in need of safe environments. We see that children don’t have the support systems and resources needed for healthy growth and development. Through Foundation of Padres & Ninos efforts, I see how important it is for children’s human rights to be respected.

Juanita Taylor

Nominated by Doris Taylor

I would like to nominate my mom Juanita Taylor who goes above and beyond for her neighbors who live in the senior building with her. She keeps them fed buy going to the local food bank to pick up food. She has the local bakery donated bake goods to building. She is president of the senior club, were she organizes trips, funraisers, bingo and so much more. She also help organized dresses for Haiti where the senir club made dresses from pillow cases, all while making sure my dad gets to appointments after suffering a stroke. She’s my Super Mom #GivetoNewHeights

Tambra Malone

Nominated by Trinity Malone

I nominate my mom Tambra Malone. She is a wife and a mother of two children and my brother has special needs, epilepsy, and respiratory. My mom does every thing for him. She doesnt have time for herself. Not only that she is the caretaker for my brother but for my daddy and I. She also goes out helping other people. My daddy took sick in 2012. I nominate my mombecause she deserves it.

Margaret Fowke

Nominated by Harold Tarver

I am nominating Margaret Fowke. While Margaret work for NOAA during the day she is an EMT for Silver Spring Volunteer Fire Department (SSFD) during her non-work hours. Margaret is Vice President of SSFD. Over the years hundreds of people have earned their CPR cards based on Margaret’s classes. Another large number of parents of infants and toddlers have benefitted from Margaret’s car seat installation instruction. On many occasion Margaret has been on the ambulance all night Friday, only to conduct a CPR class Saturday morning. Blending her paid job with her volunteer job, Margaret has fought tirelessly to access NOAA weather data to make more safe the operating environment of EMTs and Firefighters in Montgomery county. Margaret has trained numerous new SSFD recruits. Helping the next generations of SSFD volunteer EMTs refine their skills. Margaret is a truly unique individual. I feel hon! ored to know and work alongside Margaret as a SSFD volunteer.

Diana Cline

Nominated by Sophia Kalandros

She is the light of my life… my mother has done everything for me. As a way to show her I love and appreciate every kind word, every dollar saved to put me through school, everything done for me that she could have done for something herself, I pray that she gets the chance to see the world. The world she knows still has good within it. The multi-tasker, the giver.. not the receiver, the lover and the fighter of life. My mother can only be described as selfless, please give me the chance to give it all back to her.

Lola Rarivoson

Nominated by Nandri Rarivoson

When I think of Lola, I think of someone who gives their all in everything, no matter how menial the task. With a humble heart and spirit of giving, she constantly puts the needs of others before herself. One of the things I cherish most about her is her positive, loving and supportive attitude in serving . Even when she is unable to give monetarily, she always manages to find a way to meet others’ needs. Even if it means just taking the time to listen, encourage and comfort them. I would like to nominate Lola for the ChepOAir giftcard and thank her for being an inspiration and role model to many. Thank you for this opportunity to recognize someone so humble and deserving!

Gary Metzger

Nominated by Shannon Blaine

Gary is very outgoing and caring. Gary has helped paint the neighbors fence, build a deck, he fixed the cracks in the sidewalk for the whole street, he provided a new net for the neighborhood school basketball hoop. Gary is always there whenever someone is in need, no questions and he does it out of the kindness of his heart. He got out of bed the other night at 1am to help change a tire in the freezing rain for my sister, the spare didn’t fit , so he got up before work the next morning and went and bought a new tire for her and replaced the old one, free. Gary has been there for not only our family financially but emotionally as well with the loss of my Grandma recently. Gary sent a coworker and his workers family on a trip To Dominican Republic free of charge, because he said the guy was a good person and could use a vacation! He is genuine!

Esther Combs

Nominated by Tim Combs

Esther (my Wife) is taking care of her parents. Dad is 81 mom is 77, she has dementia. My wife and I moved them (packed ourselves) to Georgia from Orlando so they can live 2 houses away and we can take care of them. My wife goes there every morning at 630 to make sure her mom takes her Meds and again in the evening. She often cooks for them and run errands as well as run them to dr. Appts all while holding down a full time job and taking care of us. There are 4 other siblings but my wife has taken this challenge on her own. She is selfless and always thinking of others before herself. She deserves a little break!

Joyce Taylor

Nominated by Crystal Roman

I would like to nominate my mother Joyce Taylor. Throughout the year she goes around in her truck feeding the homeless in her community. This Thanksgiving she stood in a food giveaway line just to get a free turkey so she could feed the homeless. I was able to go with her for the first time to help serve. She made me very proud. I think she deserves to be recognized. I hope that she is considered.

Jenn

Nominated by Marilyn Montroy

Jenn has worked tirelessly to keep The Red Lipstick Foundation alive and well. The foundation keeps her dear friend alive with the spirit of doing in the same way Jessie did even while fighting her own battle with that dreaded disease. The Red Lipstick Foundation is Jessie’s legacy piece that helps mothers battling cancer with resources that can help keep the “Mom” be an active person in her home while mom focuses on treatment and healing. The Foundation can provide social workers, Jessie’s cancer kit (Red Lipstick Included), and a team of resources to help meet your biggest needs while mom fights her battle. Jessie was someone who never gave up and this foundation is proof that she is still fighting!!!

Sondra Thomas-Lyon

Nominated by Kelvin Lyon

Sondra Thomas-Lyon embodies the spirit of giving by having a kind heart through out the years since I’ve known her. She has taught at the elementary grade level for many years before becoming an assistant principal. As a teacher, she bought items for her students that were in need of such items as supplies, a belt, etc. One time there was a student that possibly would not be able to go on a planned student trip because of a lack of funds, therefore, she gave the money so that the student was able to participate on the trip with her classmates. Sondra has also given back by volunteering time over many years to sing at college/university events, shopping malls (holiday events), senior citizen centers, weddings, etc. She will be singing with a choir this month at a senior citizen rehabilitation center as a dedication event of honoring a birthday for one of the residents. As a pianist, sh! e has dedicated time playing at several religious events as well as her church. As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she has volunteered to pack food for the homeless in the community and third world countries, participate in a yearly back to school book bag give away, and other Greek organization’s holiday toy drive for local youth. Most recently, Sondra fixed plates of food on Thanksgiving day for a husband and wife that sent their gratitude to be thought about during the holiday. Sondra has a giving heart and spirit and because of her giving and kindness among all of her attributes- I asked her to be my wife and since our wedding in 2013, she continues to give back to the community.

Duo

Nominated by Tiffany Kwak

Duo is always looking for ways to give back in the community. He gives of his time freely to help a multitude of different organizations battle hunger, education, and illness. He also recently started doing BBQ fundraisers to help programs throughout Las Vegas financially.

Marlene Charlot

Nominated by Pat Smith

I have had the privilege of working with Marlene for several years. She is an RN and has a heart of gold. As we all know, Hurricane Matthew was quite devastating for the Haitian people. Marlene searched out a very reliable and trustworthy charity, and asked her colleagues and friends to donate what they could to the people of Haiti post Hurricane Matthew. She gathered all of the donations on her own, and delivered them to her source for the direct delivery to the very people that needed it. Marlene had first hand knowledge of how terribly mismanaged donations are that go to Haiti, sharing with us that most donations from the US never make it to the very people that need it the most. Therefore, this was of utmost importance to Marlene, and she assured everyone our donations would go “to the people who need it”! A true gem that she is, Marlene followed up with all of us that donated items with a written letter of sincere “thanks” in her mission to help the people of Haiti. Marlene has given and given her entire nursing career. She would be well deserving of this acknowledgement, as she herself is the very meaning of “giving back” every day.

MPOWERD

Nominated by CheapOair

With Luci, we were aiming for something much bigger than convenience. We want to empower the lives of the 1.5 billion people living without electricity in developing countries. So we made a light that’s clean and safe – pretty much the opposite of the toxic and expensive kerosene lamps so many depend on – because life doesn’t stop after the sun goes down.

mpowerd.com

Kids of Kathmandu

Nominated by CheapOair

On May 22, 2015 Kids of Kathmandu, along with our partner Asia Friendship Network, was given permission by Ministry of Education, Nepal to rebuild 50 schools in 4 of the most earthquake devastated districts. Temporary schools went up immediately to brace for monsoon season which was upon us. In March 2016, we broke ground on our first 9 permanent schools.

kidsofkathmandu.org

Jeremy Steiner

Nominated by Travis Kinne

This is one of my best friends, Jeremy Steiner. He is a selfless human being who devotes a lot of his time to his family, friends, dogs, cats, and complete strangers too! He has volunteered at many animal shelters since 2013 and has gotten the most dogs and cats adopted by far out of any volunteer. A lot of the dogs he works with are abandoned pit bulls who need a home and he works at training them and getting them to a family that will surround the dog with love they deserve. Jeremy also volunteers his time for the elderly and handicapped by going shopping for them and doing some household chores. Many elderly and handicapped people don’t have the mobility to get up and go shopping all the time so Jeremy goes to their house, retrieves their shopping list, and then goes and gets all the items they want with a smile on his face.

Jeremy Steiner 2020