United Way of Greater Chattanooga and its nonprofit support arm, Venture Forward, virtually hosted the inaugural Celebrate Awards this month. Three awards were presented to the winning finalists in the categories of Innovation in Action, Volunteer of the Year and Nonprofit of the Year.
The Innovation in Action award, sponsored by Bridge Innovate, was presented to Clínica Médicos for providing full access health care throughout the pandemic. Other nominees included WTCI-PBS and Reflection Riding Center.
The Volunteer of the Year award, sponsored by Lawson Electric, was presented to Friends of Special Children for their work supporting Signal Centers. Other nominees included Habitat for Humanity of Chattanooga’s crew leaders and Rebecca Parton, a volunteer with Northside Neighborhood House.
The Nonprofit of the Year award, sponsored by Double Cola, was presented to YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga for providing meals to thousands of children in the absence of regular school meals and for transforming their East Brainerd location into a tornado relief hub following the natural disaster. Other nominees included The Creative Discovery Museum and ArtsBuild.
The Celebrate Awards event was formed to honor the work done by local nonprofits in the past year in the face of multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Easter tornadoes and instances of racial injustice.
The finalists and winners for each award were selected by third-party volunteer judges from a pool of nominees submitted online from individuals in the greater Chattanooga area.
Source: United Way of Greater Chattanooga