Nominations Open For Community Volunteer Award
November 19, 2012
City of Charleston to Present Annual Harold Koon Award
CHARLESTON, SC – November 19, 2012 – Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. announced that the City of Charleston will accept nominations until December 7, 2012 for the 2013 Harold Koon Award. 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 Harold organized residents in annual Christmas tours of the neighborhood, an event which earned $25,000 for neighborhood projects. Harold 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 fifteen subsequent honorees with 2010’s award presented to Michael Allen, 2011’s award conferred on Fouchena Sheppard, and the 2012 honor awarded to Fran Clasby. The Neighborhood Commission selected these award winners for their exceptional volunteer service to the community and their neighborhoods.
Nominations for the fifteenth annual award will be accepted by the City of Charleston’s Office of Neighborhood Services until December 7, 2012. 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 the January 22, 2013 meeting of City Council. A permanent plaque is displayed in City Hall with the names of the annual winners. Applications for nominations can be obtained by calling Neighborhood Services Manager Susan Griffin at 720-3886 or on the City of Charleston website at www.charleston-sc.gov.
