The Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) is now accepting applications for its 26th annual Beacon Award in recognition of an individual, organization, or other party that has consistently made “sustained and significant contribution to the Beacon Hill community.”
The winner will be selected by the Beacon Award Nominating Committee, which in addition to Russ Gaudreau, its longtime chair, also comprises other directors from the Civic Association, as well as representatives from the Beacon Hill Garden Club, Hill House, and Friends of the Public Garden, along with a Charles Street business owner.
The Nominating Committee, which held its first meeting in mid-March, has received five nominations to date for this year’s award, according to Gaudreau, and is expected to make its final selection (or selections) by no later than mid- to early April.
In keeping with tradition, the name of the final nominee (or nominees) will remain confidential until the Beacon Award is presented during the Civic Association’s annual meeting on Monday, May 15, at the Union Club.
As Nominating Committee chair, Gaudreau presented two 25th annual Beacon Awards to Hill House and Gary Drug, respectively, at the Civic Association’s 100th annual meeting on May 16 of last year at the Union Club.
Beacon Award nominees may include parties that work “with children or the elderly in the neighborhood, beautify local spaces, improve safety on the Hill, or preserve and enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses alike,” according to the Civic Association, while the recipient(s) may be an individual, group, committee, business, institution, or organization that is active in the community.
The Civic Association instituted the annual Beacon Award in 1997 as part of the group’s 50th anniversary Diamond Jubilee Year. Joseph Hinkle, a neighborhood attorney who was very active in the community, was the recipient of the inaugural Beacon Award that year. Hinkle died at age 54 in 1997.
Visit bhcivic.org to download the nomination form. Nominations must be received by April 10.