Sponsored Content
Do you know a volunteer who makes a big difference to their community? Nominate them for Goddard Riverside’s Good Neighbor Award!
The awards celebrate volunteers who are helping build a stronger community on the Upper West Side, Harlem, East Harlem, or Yorkville.
Submit a quick and easy online nomination today at https://goddard.org/goodneighborawards Submissions are open until May 4.
A committee of past winners and longtime volunteers will choose this year’s honorees, who will be recognized at a festive event in June.
Last year’s honorees are:
- Shaen Begleiter for his decades of dedicated leadership of the West 68th Street Block Association. Known by many as the “Mayor of 68th Street,” Shaen has helped build a more connected, beautiful, and responsive community, exemplifying the vital, often overlooked role of block associations.
- Roberta Bessey for her 20 years of dedicated stewardship as “Tender” from 74th to 79th Streets in Riverside Park, tirelessly maintaining and beautifying this well-used area through daily care like planting, mulching, watering, and weeding. Her self-taught gardening expertise and commitment have created year-round beauty and fostered community respect for the park.
- Cheri Leon for her vital role in a volunteer group supporting unhoused neighbors in Washington Square Park, and especially for her dedication to a resident who spent over a year experiencing homelessness in Father Fagan Park. Her genuine friendship and tireless support were instrumental in that resident’s transition into housing, and her ongoing compassion has made a meaningful difference in the lives of many others.
- John Mudd for his leadership of the Midtown South Community Council, mobilizing partnerships and community power to address health, hunger, and housing. Through initiatives like the urban garden, distribution of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, and “Street Sheets,” John finds creative, collaborative ways to provide tangible resources.
- Sharon Tyson for her unwavering dedication to feeding, comforting, and caring for her community across Sugar Hill and beyond. Whether preparing hot meals overnight for 400 mourners on just two days’ notice or opening her home to those in need, Sharon shows up energetically again and again.
- Altagracia Martinez Valdez for her years of dedicated service through Dominican Community Services NYC, Inc., fostering a stronger, more connected neighborhood. From free ESL and Citizenship classes to cultural events that celebrate Dominican heritage to her beloved Prom Dress Giveaway, she consistently offers resources that open doors and bring people together.
Submit candidates now at https://goddard.org/goodneighborawards/
Wow. I’m seriously inspired. We have amazing neighbors!!