Mark your calendars! The date has been set for 2015 Heroes with Heart Awards Gala. The annual event organized by Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL) & The Nest Domestic Violence Shelter will be held at the Gateway Church of Christ on Sunday, October 18th at 2:00 p.m.
HEAL Board Secretary Pat Shukis-Fraser wants you to know what Heroes with Heart is all about: “We are blessed with many people who work in the spotlight or in anonymity to make life better here, to make our community stronger. We want to acknowledge some of them; hence the Heroes with Heart Gala, an annual event to recognize and honor people in our community who have been singled out by others as having made a special contribution to Lincoln County or Mescalero.”
Each year, heroes are nominated by members of the community. As Shukis-Fraser suggests, “A ‘Hero with Heart’ might be a person, a group of people, or even an organization that has improved life here in Lincoln County or Mescalero by doing something extraordinary in the last year. But a hero may also just be someone who works at making things better by their everyday actions.”
Local radio personality, Harvey T. Twite, who has emceed the event for the past couple of years, details the importance of such an event in the community: “I think we must celebrate our local heroes, ordinary people doing extraordinary things for others. It gives us faith and hope for tomorrow. It shows that Americans truly are special people. Our people are special, and we must always encourage and celebrate each other.”“It is an incredible honor for me to emcee these events,” Twite continued. “It is inspiring to read their stories, to shake their hands, and to help lift up and celebrate their courage and inspiration to others.”
Josie Powell, owner of Josie’s Framery in Ruidoso, commented on her love of the annual gala: “As a former HEAL board member, the Heroes with Heart Awards became my favorite event recognizing the men and women in Lincoln County and Mescalero who do wonderful and important giving of themselves to their community.”
Powell continued, “In 2014, I was so very honored and humbled to be nominated as a Hero with Heart. It is recognition I am proud of because I love this community and I enjoy seeing positive results from the work I have been involved in.”
One aspect of the process that will be a little different this year, Secretary Shukis-Fraser explains, is “the HEAL Board of Directors has established categories of heroes: educator, student, business and professional, health and wellness, first responder, public service, community service, as well as general community heroes.”
When nominations close, the HEAL Board of Directors will each vote for their selection from among those nominated by the community. The votes will be tallied, and the winners featured at a gala in their honor on October 18th. The event is free and open to everyone. “Heroes with Heart Gala is a way for our community to say ‘thank you’ to those who help make Lincoln County and Mescalero the special places they are,” Shukis-Fraser explained.
To nominate your Hero with Heart, download the form online at http://helpendabuseforlife.