Mark Boben of Duluth was recognized on Monday for his efforts to enhance the Gary-New Duluth neighborhood with the redevelopment of its recreational center.
"We truly, truly live in a giving community. It is humbling," Boben said.
Boben was the first person to receive the new Touchstone Award for a community member who has fostered generosity to strengthen the community during the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation's 24th annual Touchstone Awards on Monday. WDSE-TV received the Touchstone Award for inclusiveness for its program "Native Report," which shares the stories of Native American communities, and Community Action Duluth received the Touchstone Award for civic engagement for its JumpStart Transportation Plus program, which assists residents with transportation and obtaining driver's licenses.
After receiving a standing ovation, Boben became emotional when he said he was receiving an accolade that wouldn't have been possible without the help of others to redevelop the Gary-New Duluth Recreation Center.
"The Gary-New Duluth community is going through transition and it's really changing, and it's changing in such a good way. We're getting young families in, more people are getting engaged and we've had a real opportunity with the GND Rec, Stowe Elementary School to really truly build the social fabric of the community and we are seeing that happen. There's some really great things happening out in Gary-New Duluth," Boben said.
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Michael LeGarde, the producer of "Native Report," began his remarks by teaching the crowd the greetings "boozhoo" and "aniin," meaning "hello" in Ojibwe, because he believes that understanding begins with a greeting between two people. "Native Report" includes Native American news from across the country and can be viewed on local channels throughout the country and online.
"As a producer, I sincerely hope that 'Native Report' is entertaining and informative, but that it is also educational. I want those who view it to take something away from it that they may not know about Native Americans, that they may not know about Indian Country," LeGarde said.
Susie Green, transportation coach at Community Action Duluth, said she was shocked to receive the award and they wouldn't be able to transform lives without the Community Foundation. Green told the News Tribune afterward that she's honored to receive the award for a program that was a team effort.
"Transportation is a barrier that a lot of people are dealing with, especially marginalized individuals, so let's keep it on the forefront," Green said.
In addition to the winners, the finalists for the Touchstone Awards included Ecolibrium3 for its program Neighborhood Leadership Nexus, Lake County Development Achievement Center for its volunteer program, Western Lake Superior Habitat for Humanity for its Construction and Neighborhood Revitalization program and WTIP-FM for its "Bringing Out the Best of Ourselves" program.
The Touchstone Awards process is "extremely competitive," said Community Foundation Board Chair David Kropid. Touchstone finalists are selected from more than 100 nonprofit organizations that receive a grant from the Community Foundation and the winners are selected from the finalists. Boben was chosen from more than 40 nominees.
"The real winners here today are, of course, the recipients of the services and programs provided by our finalists. It's the lives that we touch through these programs that we help fund," Korpid said.
The organizations that receive the Community Foundation grants "are building our community and our region, volunteer by volunteer, brick by brick, with donated cars, with public broadcasting programs," Community Foundation President Holly Sampson said. "It's really one step at a time. But today is one of those days when we can look back and say, 'We are building community together.'"
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