CHARACTER COUNTS! recently recognized six outstanding community members with the annual Pillar of Character Awards.

Colleagues and employers nominated unsung heroes of the workplace who they thought exemplified the Six Pillars of Character that are part of the CHARACTER COUNTS! mission: Trustworthiness, Respect, Caring, Citizenship, Fairness and Responsibility.

Terri May, the CHARACTER COUNTS! director at United Way of Martin County, explained that many employees have strong values and go above and beyond their job description on a daily basis and never receive recognition.

“CHARACTER COUNTS! established this awards program for adult workers who set good examples regularly,” May said. Each recipient received a gift basket and a plaque. The items are sponsored by David Golden, PA.

Following are this year’s employee Pillars of Character, with excerpts from their nomination letters.

• Steve Allen – Director of maintenance, St. Michael’s Independent School
  Although Steve is not a faculty member at St. Michael’s, he is in fact a teacher. He teaches the students that character counts in everything one does, from designing a deck to repairing a screen. He is a role model for children and adults.

• Rafael Almonte – Public assistance department, Martin Memorial Health Systems
  From the bedside to the final appointments, Rafael is the voice of patients and families who sometimes have none. His tireless effort and selfless commitment to these patients changes lives.

• Robert Deyo – Chief financial officer, Helping People Succeed (HPS)
  Bob is what every organization needs – a strong leader with a heart of gold – he knows that every dollar counts but he knows and appreciates what every dollar is for and achieves.

• Lolita Dupree – Disaster Response Team, American Red Cross
  Lolita demonstrates her true commitment, caring, and sense of responsibility by doing the really hard behind-the-scenes work that supports everything the Red Cross does – but that most people don’t ever see.

• Sgt. Ryan Grimsdale – Community Oriented Policing Unit, Martin County Sheriff’s Office
  He is currently assigned as the sergeant in the Community Oriented Policing Unit, and this area is truly his calling. In addition to working to solve quality-of-life issues in high-risk communities, he serves as a mentor and role model for the children living there.

• Elena Rish – Administrative assistant, Martin County School District
  Elena has worked for the school district for 30 years. She is always willing to assist the public and her fellow work colleagues with any situation or project and will go out of her way to do it correctly and without hesitancy.