The Linda Lee Martens Community Health Hero Award is accepting nominations.
The awards, according to Island County Commissioner Janet St. Clair, honors “a person of distinguished courage or ability admired for their noble qualities. A person who, in the opinion of others, is regarded as a model to be emulated.”
“Most heroes live and work among us without much notice, but we all know who they are and it’s only fitting that we publicly recognize and honor them,” St. Clair said in a prepared release
Island County’s Community Health Advisory Board and Board of Health will be honoring individuals who go the extra mile to help others.
The Linda Lee Martens Community Health Hero Award is named for the late executive secretary of Island County Public Health.
Martens was a president of Soroptimists and a participant in many local activities. She was deemed a hero because she was an ordinary person with an extraordinary love for others.
Among last year’s recipients were Mike and Kathy Long, who voluntarily lead a support group for families with members with mental illness.
Debbie Lacy was recognized for years of dedicated service at Pediatric Associates of Whidbey Island and in the community.
The South Whidbey High School Social Justice Club was recognized for its work to prevent gun related injuries and violence in schools, and staff from Sno-Isle Libraries were recognized for their leadership in the ‘Issues that Matter’ education series.
Other past awardees have been recognized for working to reduce substance abuse, addressing environmental issues, assisting the elderly in finding health care, developing community gardens, caring for the uninsured, and for enhancing the community’s health and quality of life in numerous other ways.
Nomination forms and additional information are available by calling 360-679-7350, or online at the Island County Public Health website. Nominations may also be submitted electronically at www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019HealthHero.
Nominations should be submitted prior to April 1. Send nomination to, or drop them off at, any Island County Public Health office.
Nominees must be residents of or employed in Island County.
Awardees will be recognized in three categories: adult, youth (under age 21) and agency, and will receive their awards during a ceremony in May led by members of the Island County Board of Health and Community Health Advisory Board.
• For information, go to www.islandcountywa.gov/health
