***For Immediate Release***

May, 7, 2008

Re: Dorchester Honors Its Model Citizens

(Dorchester, MA) On Friday May 2nd, 2008, SCI Dorchester celebrated its 3rd Annual Model Citizens Awards Ceremony at The Historic Great Hall in Codman Square. This year we honored seven individuals for their exemplary service and commitment to their community. This event was held in conjunction with National Volunteer Week (April 27th- May 3rd) as a way to show appreciation for all the good work our volunteers do everyday.

Model Citizens is an annual award that celebrates volunteers who have contributed their time and talents to their community. An individual or organization nominates each Model Citizen and a review committee consisting of community volunteers then chooses the award recipients. The 2008 Model Citizens Awards recipients included: Dynell Andrews-Blake, Byron Beaman, Marion Bowden, Jamarhl Crawford, Vivian Girard, Arlene Lopes, and Jeff Smith. Ron Bell, Director of the Office of Civic Engagement, was the special guest speaker for the event and he was presented with a special award for his activism and accomplishments in increasing voter registration in our communities.

The event was a fantastic celebration of volunteerism in the Dorchester community. Every volunteer who came to the event received an official certificate of appreciation. In addition to recognizing the Model Citizens, SCI Dorchester and DotWell gave awards to its seven AmeriCorps members: Grace Ejiwale, Jennifer Gerber, Kathy McKenzie-Johnson, Joao Ramos, Carlotta Richardson, Carla Smith, and Kelley Winters.

For more information about the Model Citizens Awards Ceremony please contact Kelley Winters at 617-822-8297 or kwinters@scidorchester.org.