City of Laredo issued the following announcement on Sept. 23.
Who: Luis “Big Lou” Ramirez, Laredo’s 2020 Jefferson Award Recipient, and Keep Laredo Beautiful, together with its partners the Laredo Area Community Foundation and the Laredo Morning Times, through Multiplying Good
What: The Jefferson Awards Presented by Multiplying Good
When: Thursday, September 24, 2020 from 6:30-7:30 PM CST
Where: Through online platform multiplyinggood.org or copy and paste URL into your preferred browser: https://www.multiplyinggood.org/what-we-do/jefferson-awards/attend-the-jefferson-awards/2020 to reserve your seat and get a link to “enter” the event.
Why: For 48 years, the purposeful platform of the Jefferson Awards has celebrated service from individuals like Big Lou that give back to their respective communities and this year for the first time the awards ceremony will be on-line. According to MultiplyingGood.org, “we . . . celebrate the power of service to others with the most inspiring hour on the internet.”
Keep Laredo Beautiful nominated Big Lou for the Laredo Area Heroes 2020 Jefferson Award for Public Service earlier this year. On March 10, during the Volunteer of the Year event ceremony hosted by the Laredo Area Community Foundation and the Laredo Morning Times, Big Lou was announced as the award recipient, out of a local field of 20 potential winners. And now, he goes onto the big stage, a national recognition ceremony set for this Thursday evening, wherein he will be featured along with do-gooders from across the United States. According to Multiplying Good, “every year, we celebrate an incredible group of national figures, local grassroots unsung heroes and young superstars.”
Below is an excerpt from the locally submitted application and the narrative that was used for the Volunteer of the Year honor:
Why does this individual deserve the Laredo Area Hero Jefferson/Acorn Awards Recognition?
Big Lou deserves this recognition because he has infused excitement into something so menial, yet so impactful. He has re-ignited a desire to keep up our work here. He has inspired many around him that have clearly joined him in his combined cause. His story, motivation and inclusive manner stands out from a crowd. He has demonstrated how the project “Walk with Da Block” and its origin with his very personal journey towards sobriety and positive self-transformation has resonated with a broad audience. The Face Book postings chronicle how it has grown to become a community group of concerned and like-minded individuals and is evidence to how it is catching on! He has demonstrated a true authenticity and a group of citizen activists effecting change in their own way. The consistency of his activity and his dedication shine through and these are some of the reasons he deserves this award.
As Big Lou has stated to me, no matter what happens with this honor, everyone wins because the litter prevention and walking-to-make-positive-strides activity every Sunday is working! Laredo wins and the love grows!
“Let the light shine on our volunteers like Big Lou! And may they continue to do good and carry out works of service, a common thread between organizations like Multiplying Good and Keep Laredo Beautiful, and countless others across the nation,” stated Blasita J. Lopez with Keep Laredo Beautiful.
Original source can be found here.
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