TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The first Tallahassee Awards took place Tuesday, providing a chance for the city to thank five people in Tallahassee who have been working tirelessly, especially through the pandemic, to make a difference in their community.
Mayor John Dailey said the city wanted the community know about the people that have been making Tallahassee work throughout the years.
"Look, no doubt that the past couple of years have been very tough on the individual, on the family, on the community, and on the state," said Mayor Dailey. "I thought it was important to celebrate and recognize those great citizens and neighbors that have gone above and beyond during these trying times, and it was a great ceremony. "
Chris Petley, President of the Tallahassee Soccer Club and Monique VanPelt, CEO of Second Harvest, were two of the winners of the Tallahassee Awards tonight.
They said they're honored to have their hard work recognized and look forward to continuing their work in Tallahassee.
"This is more than a soccer club," said Petley. "We played our first game in May when I think we were still in the thick of it. Eleven hundred people showed up to our game, and I don't think one person watched the game. It was one of the first major events held in the city, and it was so great to see neighbors talking to neighbors and friends coming back to talk with fiends."
"Awards like this are really only possible in communities that support and give an open lease to people that have creative ideas and want to come up with solutions to really complicated problems," said VanPelt.
Other winners of the award were Royle King of The Omega Lamplighters, Talethia Edwards of the Greater Bond Neighborhood Association, and Aurora Hansen of the Asian Coalition of Tallahassee.
