2008 NUSA Notable honorees

Joan Adcock and the HOPE Center
Little Rock, AR
Nominated by:  Andre Bernard, Little Rock, AR

The HOPE Center, a community help center founded by Joan Adcock, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to work with citizens on transitioning from welfare to independence.  Over the course of the past 12 years the HOPE Center has served over 1,600 clients.  Ms. Adcock’s love, compassion and commitment to the community is well known throughout Central Arkansas area.

Frank Buono, Owner of Buono’s Pizza
Long Beach, CA
Nominated by:  Margaret Madden, Long Beach, CA

Anytime community organizations in downtown Long Beach needs food donated for a community function, he is there.  He is a sponsor of the Long Beach Marathon; a supporter of the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center and has donated or sold well into the thousands of pizzas to schools for function or neighborhood groups.  Mr. Buono truly believes in giving back to the community and schools.

Carolyn Kincaid and Volunteer Center of The Virginia Peninsula
Hampton, VA
Nominated by:  Shellae Blackwell, Hampton, VA

As Director of the Volunteer Center, Ms. Kincaid has demonstrated a strong commitment and dedication to supporting the partnerships of the Hampton Neighborhood Initiative.  Under her leadership, the Volunteer Center recruited over 100 volunteers from local businesses to participate in our neighborhood/school curb appeal project to landscape seven Hampton City School grounds in 2007. Ms Kincaid has served as Co-Chair of the Volunteer Committee for this conference.

Good Samaritan Hospital
Dayton, OH
Nominated by:  Judy Martinson, Dayton, OH

Dedicated to investing in the Dayton community, from the Phoenix Project, the Catholic Urban Schools Initiative, and The Samaritan Homeless Clinic, it is evident that Good Samaritan is committed to building a healthier community in the Dayton area. The Phoenix Project focuses on the building blocks of strong neighborhoods: housing, business, social, neighborhood safety, growth and education.  The Project is making a difference, as a result of community policing, major crime in the area served by the project is down 37% from 2004 to 2007.

Oral History Initiative – City of Roanoke Public Libraries
Roanoke, VA
Nominator:  Estelle McCadden, Roanoke, VA

It is a memory that brings photographs, newspaper headlines and neighborhood streets to life, and it is memories that give our lives enduring significance.  The goal of Roanoke’s Oral History Initiative is to collect, preserve, and share the valuable memories of our citizens and veterans so they are not forgotten.  Since September 2006, the Libraries have interviewed several hundred individuals for this initiative encompasses two projects, one being the Neighborhood History Project that collects stories of long-time residents from the 26 neighborhoods in the City of Roanoke.

Madison Area Neighbors
Madison, WI
Nominator: Robert Gibbons, Madison, WI

Neighbors debuted in 2006 in order to fill a unique and unmet need: to bring “neighborhood news” – the kind people get in a small-town.  Celebrating its first anniversary in 2007 reader’s responses included: “Thanks for supporting our communities” . . . “Keep going – you are doing a terrific job,” . . . and  “I think Neighbors is a great idea to really localize the news and bring good news to your readers”.  Neighbors is the most widely distributed publication in Madison devoted entirely too local content.