City of Charleston to present annual Harold Koon Award

CHARLESTON, SC – Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. announced that the City of Charleston will accept nominations until October 16, 2015 for the 2016 Harold Koon Award for Excellence in Volunteer Service. Mayor Riley created the award in honor of the memory of Harold Koon, a devoted and passionate neighborhood leader who passed away in 1998. Mayor Riley selected the Neighborhood Commission to choose a person each year “who embodies the traits which made Harold such a wonderful leader and neighbor.”

Harold Koon served as a volunteer for many years on behalf of his neighborhood and was president of the Mazyck-Wraggborough Neighborhood Association. For ten years Koon organized residents in annual Christmas tours of the neighborhood, an event which earned $25,000 for neighborhood projects. Koon led beautification efforts and initiated flower and tree plantings, yet he still found endless hours to help many arts, civic, preservation and environmental groups.

Mayor Riley presented the first award on January 26, 1999 to Reverend Alma Dungee. There have been seventeen subsequent honorees with 2001’s award presented to Robert Ballard and last year’s recipient, Diane Hamilton from the Maryville/Ashleyville neighborhood. The Neighborhood Commission selected these award winners for their exceptional volunteer service to the community and their neighborhoods.

Nominations for the eighteenth annual award will be accepted by the City of Charleston’s Office of Neighborhood Services until October 16, 2015. Any resident of the City of Charleston can nominate an individual who has worked for community improvement in the City of Charleston. The award will be given at a future 2015 meeting of City Council.

Applications for nominations can be obtained by calling the Neighborhood Services Office at 843-958-6407 or on the website at www.charleston-sc.gov. Learn more about Harold’s life and contribution on the Neighborhood Services homepage.