Happy Martin Luther King day to all. I am reminded on this day to remember the greatness of people and be more diligent about celebrating our achievements and specialness.

Speaking of celebrations, seven motivated-about-living people were honored at the annual MLK breakfast. Below is a quick summary of who they are and what they did. As you read, think about what you might do to win one of next year’s awards.

Organizers presented Nancy Jordan, former Arizona State University assistant vice president for Community Development, the Calvin C. Goode Lifetime Achievement Award.

The six other recipients were:

– Anthony Gathers, owner of Ageez Barbershop, who mentors youths by giving them jobs and free hair cuts while providing then tutoring services.

– Rick Miller, founder and president of Kids at Hope, which encourages children to be hopeful, optimistic and successful.

– Andrew Ortiz, CEO of Ortiz Leadership Systems who founded Los Diablos, an ASU scholarship program for Latino students.

– The Rev. Liana Rowe, who started the first bilingual support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual Latinos.

– Meg Sneed, co-founder of the human-rights organization, H.E.R.O., which provides food for the hungry and supplies for troops in Iraq.

– Camilla Hester Westenberg, a Phoenix College professor who helps students unprepared for college and fights racial profiling and in inequity.

The Arizona Republic has a larger story on the awards ceremony if you would like to read it. However, I invite you to do more than read other people’s achievements. Be the powerful and impactful yourself.

Gene Urban
The Urban Team at Realty Executives
602-234-5777

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