This past Thursday night, the annual Lower East Side Community Hero Awards took place at University Settlement. They were presented as part of LES History Month. We were humbled to have been chosen this year among the honorees.
Launched in 2014, the awards recognize the “unsung” heroes of the Lower East Side community. Nominations were open to all organizations participating in history month. Here’s more about the recipients:
Wendy Brawer: Founder of Green Map System, the innovative organization which engages communities worldwide in mapping green living, nature and cultural resources. [Presented by: Aziz Dehkan]
Mike Hoyos: Head printer at Works in Progress, who has mentored and inspired hundreds of young people over the past 20 years. [Presented by Alexander Campaz]
Thea Martinez: Community activist at Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), professional dancer and choreographer, teaching artist. [Presented by: Katrina Cortes]
Harriet Putterman: Board member and activist with the Cooper Square Committee, longtime affordable housing advocate. [Presented by: Steve Herrick]
Michael Zisser: Special acknowledgement for the longtime executive director and CEO of University Settlement and The Door. Zisser is retiring this summer. We’ll publish a profile of Zisser later this week. [Presented by: Melissa Aase]
Traven Rice and Ed Litvak: Co-founders of The Lo-Down. [Presented by: Laurie Tobias Cohen and David Garza]
All photos by Whitney Browne.
