In the five years that we have been covering Verona, MyVeronaNJ.com has seen many, many examples of exemplary service to our community. Now, as we start our sixth year of reporting, we have decided it’s time to recognize that service in a big way, with our first Person Of The Year Award.
One person of the year in a community where service is as ingrained as the boulders under our soil? One person in a community where people regularly volunteer to help schools and sports, houses of worship and civic causes? One person in a community where giving gets more attention than getting? One person in a community where community service starts so young? It’s not an easy choice, and so we need your help.
We’ve gone back through our stories this year, and found many people who could merit the MyVeronaNJ.com Person of the Year award, but we’re leaving the decision up to you, our readers. Some of our candidates live in Verona, some used to, and some just worked here. The key criteria was that they did something to change lives in 2014.
We’ve pared our list of possibilities to five, and we are asking you, our readers, to vote for a winner. We invite you to read all their stories again by clicking on their names before making your decision. Voting opens today, and runs through midnight on Friday, December 19. The results of your voting will be hidden until Monday, December 22, when we’ll have a story on the winner.
2014 Person Of The Year Candidates
Steve Forte, for organizing the public school referendum
Lucas Freschi, for getting more youth into environmentalism
Maureen Tracy, for donating a kidney to save a life
Maureen Milmoe, for her fundraising for breast cancer
Brett D’Alessandro and Kevin Clarke, for helping homeless veterans
UPDATE: Voting for Person of the Year has closed. Please check back on Monday, December 22, for the results.
Maureen gave the gift of life by donating a kidney-there is no greater gift. brave generous individual.
Kevin & Brett…you guy’s are the BOMB! So happy to call you guys friends (& familly❤️)…..
Maureen Tracy, a courageous single mom, is an amazing person, and deserving of Verona Person of the Year even without the selfless act of donating a kidney.
Wow!
What a woman.
There are saints among us.
This woman should be person of the year.
On behalf of Kevin Clarke and I, I just wanted to say congratulations Maureen for being picked for the Verona person of the year award! Also thank you to everyone who picked my non profit for one of the nominees for this award. Thank you and Happy Holidays to everyone.