Nominations Open for Hometown Heroes Award at The Community House

Hamilton, Mass. — The Community House in Hamilton is pleased to announce the opening of nominations for its “Hometown Heroes Awards.” Selected heroes will be honored during The Community House's virtual “Harvest Dinner” on October 3, 2020. The event is sponsored by Albrecht Auto Group, Emanio Creative and Salem Five Charitable Foundation.

The awards and event will celebrate the broad scope of positive responses to COVID-19 in our community by recognizing actions big and small. From a child making cards for lonely older people to a team of doctors risking their lives to save others, this award honors all the heroes making a difference during this particularly challenging time.

To be eligible, nominees should either live in Hamilton or Wenham, or be making an impact in the two towns through work, volunteerism or acts of kindness. Heroes may be nominated individually or as a group.

**To submit your nomination, visit www.communityhouse.org and complete a brief form by July 19.**

The Community House (TCH) has a long history of honoring local heroes and promoting volunteerism. In 1921, George and Emily Mandell of Hamilton built TCH in memory of their son, Samuel Mandell, and seven other men who died in service during World War I. For the next six decades, The Community House was powered by volunteers. In recent years, TCH has used its annual Harvest Dinner to recognize one or two individuals for exceptional volunteerism.

This spring, the pandemic inspired TCH board and staff members to take a different approach: "Recognizing that many essential workers risked their own health every day to provide critical health care, feed the hungry and deliver the mail, we feel compelled to acknowledge all those who have been called to action in support of others during this very challenging time," said Executive Director Melissa Elmer.

"In addition to those acts of bravery, we need to recognize the quiet acts of kindness and generosity that have helped to sustain our community through this pandemic.”

TCH Board President Christina Comparato sees the awards as a vital way to carry out the TCH mission of uniting all who live, work and play on the North Shore.

"By recognizing the hard work and commitment of essential workers and volunteers across our entire community, TCH will shine a light on the positive community response to COVID-19. Our goal is to recognize as many heroes as possible, so we invite everyone to nominate someone they know who made a positive difference."