NeighborWorks® America Honors Eight Local Heroes for Community Building and Transforming Neighborhoods

For Immediate Release
August 15, 2006
Contact: Erin Angell, 202-220-6317, eangell@nw.org

NeighborWorks® America Honors Eight Local Heroes for
Community Building and Transforming Neighborhoods

National Organization Recognizes 15th Annual Dorothy Richardson Award Recipients

(Washington, D.C.) – Today NeighborWorks America honored eight community leaders from around the country with the 2006 Dorothy Richardson Awards for Resident Leadership during an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. (View our video presentation about each of the award winners.)

“This year’s Dorothy Richardson Award honorees have demonstrated a steadfast commitment to improving the communities in which they live,” said Ken Wade, CEO of NeighborWorks America. “Their important contributions help transform and enrich neighborhoods and towns, creating lasting benefits for countless residents. We are proud to honor them for their generous service to others.”

The eight individuals and the NeighborWorks organizations that nominated them are:

• David Balsick, NeighborWorks of Pueblo (Colo.)
• Norma Baynes, Neighborhood Housing Services of Asheville (N.C.)
• Edna Bynoe, Madison Park Development Corporation (Roxbury, Mass.)
• Dr. James Nelson Gingerich, LaCasa, Inc. (Goshen, Ind.)
• Jeanette LaVerne, Neighborhood Housing Services of Minneapolis
• Graciela Martinez, Self-Help Enterprises (Visalia, Calif.)
• Charles Nallen, Fairmont Community Development Partnership (Fairmont, W.V.)
• Reginald Shell, Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Created in 1991, the Dorothy Richardson Awards for Resident Leadership celebrate the outstanding contributions of dedicated community leaders across the United States. Each year, the NeighborWorks network honors a resident from each of its eight districts who exemplifies the qualities of Dorothy Richardson, a Pittsburgh activist who helped advance the community-based development movement that informed the formation of the NeighborWorks network.

The individuals honored today have many accomplishments for which they can be proud. Achievements include finding new resources to fund affordable housing; securing support for the development of a new elementary school; educating farm workers about their rights and supporting them in their quest for humane working conditions, safer housing and affordable healthcare; successful redevelopment of vacant or abandoned properties; and the creation of partnerships with government and private organizations to address community needs. Through years of community building, activism and service to their neighbors, these individuals have made a difference in the lives of many.

Find out more information about the Dorothy Richardson Awards for Resident Leadership, and the 2006 winners.

About NeighborWorks America

NeighborWorks America provides financial support, technical assistance and training for communities across the nation, including the NeighborWorks network – a nationwide network of more than 240 community development organizations working in more than 4,400 urban, suburban and rural communities across America. These organizations engage in revitalization strategies that strengthen communities and transform lives. In the last five years alone, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $10 billion in reinvestment and helped more than 780,000 families of modest means purchase or improve their homes or secure safe, decent rental or mutual housing.