On June 24, County Executive Marc Elrich and the Montgomery County Volunteer Center held the 14th Annual Montgomery Serves Awards. The Awards recognize organizations and individuals for outstanding accomplishments in the realms of service and volunteerism in 2024. The ceremony occurred at the Rosborough Theater in Gaithersburg.
Awards included the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award, which is designated by the County Executive and awarded to community members who have made extraordinary contributions to the county throughout their lifetime.
Award Winners
Christine Clark received the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award for her contributions to the integration of Montgomery County’s public spaces in the 50s and 60s. She later spent 28 years in county government advancing education and minority outreach.
Henry Hailstock also received the award for his commitment to economic opportunity and racial equity, including serving as NAACP chapter president and minority affairs manager at Giant Food and the Food Marketing Institute.
J. Michael Zeigler was awarded the Inez Zeigler McAbee and William Harvey Zeigler Humanitarian Award, renamed in his honor, for his humanitarian service as a former Maryland State Police commander, longtime Damascus Volunteer Fire Department leader, and his work responding to the humanitarian crisis following Hurricane Katrina.
The Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award is presented to county residents of 60 years or older who demonstrate a lifetime of volunteer service. Recipients this year were Hettie Fleming, who coordinated large-scale relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, advocated for Sickle Cell Awareness and served in church-based ministries.
Anita Serengeti, a 50-year volunteer and founder of Transformations of Montgomery County, a nonprofit which furnishes homes for foster youth was also a winner of the Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award.
Volunteer Service Awards
The Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes outstanding volunteer service.
The 2024 Volunteer of the Year is Stephanie Mitchell, for her contributions to Sleep In Heavenly Peace, providing beds to children in need.
The Youth Volunteer of the Year is Aarna Gundeti, a rising junior at Walt Whitman High School and founder of the nonprofit Helping Hands for Humanity.
The Volunteer Business of the Year is DAVIS Construction, with over 30 employees volunteering 80 hours annually on critical repair projects.
The Volunteer Group of the Year is Little Falls Watershed Alliance, which mobilized over 1,200 volunteers to protect the 9.5-square mile watershed spanning southwest Montgomery County and northwest Washington, D.C.
Student Service Winners
The Student Service Learning (SSL) Award honored the students with the highest volunteer hours of every grade level:
- 6th Grade: Riley Goodman, Silver Creek Middle School – 407 hours
- 7th Grade: Lucia Castro Herrera, Shady Grove Middle School – 629.5 hours
- 8th Grade: Princess Asare, Montgomery Village Middle School – 1160 hours
- 9th Grade: Akina Hart, Rockville High School – 1272.5 hours
- 10th Grade: Theodore Lim, Poolesville High School – 1308 hours
- 11th Grade: Sophie Huang, Richard Montgomery High School – 1573.5 hours
- 12th Grade: Lilyanna Bergfalk, Wheaton High School – 2296 hours
The MCPS Student Service Spotlight acknowledges students for exceptional contributions to volunteer service projects.
The 2024 recipients were David Blanco Corona of Magruder High School, who served over 700 hours with the Mid County Hub; Wilson Costa of Francis Scott Key Middle School, for his contributions to Family Food Market; and Jazmary Solla Perez of Springbrook High School, who earned over 1,200 SSL hours providing translation, mentoring, leading school beautification projects and modeled inclusive leadership.
