COMMUNITY AWARDS BREAKFAST CATEGORIES & CRITERIA
The Nancy Heil Lifetime Achievement Award*
This award is given to a proven community leader whose energy, passion, dedication, wisdom and deeds has made Westminster a better place to live, learn, play and prosper.
The Westminster Legacy Foundation’s most prestigious award, the Nancy Heil Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual residing in Westminster that has made life-long contributions of enduring significance to the City of Westminster. Candidates for this category will have a long record of good works and lasting positive impact on the city and her people.
Examples include people that have given their careers and/or philanthropic endeavors for many years serving the City of Westminster; long-time educators or nonprofit professionals bettering the lives of the City’s residents, individuals that have been advocates and helped define policy in a way the has made of difference to a large part of the Westminster population and/or leaders that have given time, treasure and talent to the betterment of the City of Westminster and her people.
*This award is named for former Westminster Mayor, Nancy Heil! In 2001, Mayor Heil and a dedicated group of volunteers formed the Westminster Legacy Foundation to support programs and projects that strengthen and enrich the Westminster community and its residents. In the late 1990s, then-Westminster Mayor Nancy Heil had a vision for this foundation to provide charitable support to worthy and just causes benefitting the residents of Westminster – now and for future generations.
The Health Equity Hero Award
This award recognizes an individual, group of volunteers, nonprofit and/or any other entity who have demonstrated outstanding involvement and commitment to community services that support health, wellness and protection of vulnerable, marginalized individuals and families.
The Health Equity Hero Award was created to honor those individuals or groups who have touched the lives of Westminster residents through their advocacy, dedication, service, volunteerism and expertise in the areas of health equity – physical, mental, behavioral & emotional well-being – and/or within the realm of human services – working with those people experiencing trauma, that are unhoused, that are food insecure, in need of workforce development and/or intensive case management.
The Conservation Award
This award acknowledges an individual, organization or group that works to preserve the Westminster environs, open spaces and lands that make a sustainable impact for residents – now and into the future.
This award highlights determined individuals or organizations that have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to conservation, energy, sustainable agriculture, environmental justice, protection of natural resources, environmental health and land management - with the goal of improving and protecting the natural world within Westminster.
The Arts & Culture Award
This award salutes an individual, group or organization that is a community artist and/or a supporter of the arts, and/or that celebrates the variety of cultures that reside within Westminster.
This award is presented to an individual or an organization that has made a significant and lasting impact on arts and culture in the City of Westminster. Recipients may be artists, performers or writers as well as those who work to promote, educate and share arts and culture in Westminster. These award recipients represent the best of Westminster’s cultural and artistic scene. Through their work, the arts and cultures of our city have become more accessible visible, and integrated into daily life.
The Outstanding Business Award
This award recognizes a business, a group of volunteers, collaboratives, faith-based institutions or any other civic group whose efforts and actions have strengthened the Westminster community.
The Outstanding Business Award demonstrates a strong commitment by an entity that portrays strong community engagement and corporate social responsibility practices, and whose leaders are actively engaged in supporting and expanding efforts in Westminster that provide residents with the opportunities to thrive and prosper. The award highlights companies that integrate societal and community concerns into their core operating strategies and their philanthropy and volunteerism within the city. They are a committed and vibrant partner in creating a better community through their giving of time, talent and treasure.
The Above & Beyond Award
This award is a new award that acknowledges persons that go above and beyond their employer-designed duties and responsibilities.
This Award aims to open up the awards process for individual or group that is often not considered or overlooked for a recognition award. The people or groups making a significantly positive impact on their workplace, the people and community partners they serve, their immediate environments and community done by civil servants, nonprofits and their staff, teachers, daycare workers, health care professionals, faith leaders, long-time volunteers, veterans, police and/or fire personnel, administrative assistants and other support staff and any other.
The Resident of the Year Award
This award values an individual who has shown extreme passion and dedication to the improvement and advancement of Westminster and her peoples, businesses and/or nonprofits and who consistently give of themselves to their neighbors, local community groups and even strangers. This person is the epitome of heart within our city.
The Resident of the Year Award highlights significant achievements throughout the calendar year as well as past successes and their ongoing contributions to the Westminster community. This individual serves as an inspirational role model for others through their scope of their work that has positively impacted the city of Westminster and her residents.
The Young Resident of the Year
This award is given to a young person under the age of 21 years and is focused on improving the city of Westminster through service to the community, extracurricular endeavors, internships, academic pursuits, their leadership and entrepreneurship.
Their spirit of volunteerism and dedication to enhancing the Westminster community is infectious and is having a positive, societal impact through projects that are developed inside or outside of the classroom. These projects and activities may be in conjunction with a community-serving organization, faith-based institution, local government, business and/or local groups or committees that address the needs within Westminster and/or the youngster’s neighborhood and immediate environs. This award may also be given to a young person who has started an initiative and/or project and/or organization they started on their own or with their friends. These efforts provide a direct service, be philanthropic or raise awareness and advocacy around a particular community need. The undertakings may be directed to their school, students on campus and/or their classroom or a department where they have shown strong leadership and devotion to enriching that section of their school.