April 25th. Yes. I received the Molina Healthcare Community Champion Award on April 25th, and I’m just now writing about it. Mostly because I’m suffering a bit from embarrassment. As much as I like being in the THICK of things, being recognized for it puts me in a weird position. I LOVE knowing that people recognize stuff that I’m doing, but having to talk about what I do makes me feel like I’m being braggadocious, and that makes me even more uncomfortable.
Earlier this year, my buddy Julianne from American Red Cross nominated me as a champion for my particular community, and I won. She let me know that she was submitting my name, and I didn’t think twice about it because I was SURE that there were more deserving people out there. Molina Healthcare just happened to think that I was one of them. I was honored, along with five other women, for work in my community and throughout. A little of the background that was given was my work with the Red Cross as a member of the DAT team, and a CPR instructor, and service with Habitat for Humanity, and the work with Union Avenue Community Garden – my newest baby.
It’s humbling to know that people are looking out for me in a way, I guess. It’s also humbling to know that people want to reach out and help with a vision that I have. So much information has been shared with people within the community and beyond, and I’m pleased to say that it’s even spreading beyond the community too!
I was happy to have my husband, mom, best friend, and high school chorus teacher there to support me. Julianne also came to support in her nomination of me. To be able to have an entire table of friends and family there to support me was so very important, and special.
I would like to say that I do take this honor very seriously. I think about it often, and I want to make sure that each time I step out to do work in the garden, or in my community in general, that I’m walking a path that I can be proud of.