On February 7, 2024, NSNP held its first award ceremony to recognize and celebrate a few of its community members and youth who embody the spirit and values of NSNP. 

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NSNP staff, board members, and award recipients gathered at Wm. Mulherin’s Sons to celebrate.

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Seven awards were given - The Lifetime Achievement Awards, two Community Service Awards, a Creativity Excellence Award, and two Outstanding Youth Awards. 

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The Lifetime Achievement Award stands as a pinnacle of recognition, honoring individuals who have dedicated their lives to outstanding accomplishments and contributions in their community, which is why Iris Brown received this award. 

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Brown helped to co-found Grupo Motivos, a movement that united Puerto Rican women from diverse regions, all driven by the shared dream of transforming abandoned lots into thriving gardens and centers of ancestral education, in the early 1980s, creating what is now a part of NSNP’s gardens. 

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Brown has made a lasting impact not only on her community but also on NSNP staff through storytelling and sharing the past.

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Executive Director Teresa Elliott shares, “We, as staff, are privileged to have learned the history of this amazing organization” through Brown’s knowledge and dedication to sharing information. 

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Aunnalea Grove and Angel Rosado received the Community Service Awards, presented to individuals who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to fostering positive change and making a meaningful impact within their communities.

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As a previous member of the NSNP Board of Directors and a current volunteer, Grove has helped the organization in the most trying times. She guided NSNP during times of uncertainty to ensure the organization’s success and financial stabilization. She continues in the effort to help NSNP secure property ownership of all its gardens and answers a call for help when needed. 

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Grove is who to call for hard decisions and “often served as the voice of reason” for NSNP, said Elliott. 

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As for Rosado, he holds a special place within the NSNP community and the Norris Square community as a whole. He is a force for good, recognizing NSNP needs and meeting them with total effort. 

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Rosado is almost always caring for plants in NSNP’s greenhouse or one of our many gardens. 

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Elliott describes Rosado as the “guardian angel of the gardens” and says, “he treats them [the gardens] as if they were his own.”

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Not only does Rosado share his gardening skills with NSNP, but he shares his pique recipe, too. His recipe is what the youth at NSNP use to create the pique they sell at Farm Stand. 

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The dynamic duo, Anula Shetty and Michael Kuetemeyer, were recognized for their creative efforts and collaborations with NSNP, accepting the Creativity Excellence Award. 

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For almost 20 years, Shetty and Kuetemeyer have been helping NSNP tell its story through creative art practices. Whether it is through film, virtual and augmented reality, or workshops, they are doing it. 

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Shetty and Kuetemeyer created the Grupo Motivos documentary in 2006, featuring the history of how NSNP gardens came to be. 

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In 2020, the pair returned to NSNP to lead a new series of workshops at Villa Africana Colobó through community virtual and augmented reality to archive the layered stories that the garden holds.

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“We [NSNP] thank you for your passion, your loyalty to NSNP, and your love of community,” Elliott expressed to the two on the night of the award ceremony.

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As the night continued, Sophie Taylor-Havens, NSNP’s Youth Programs Director, recognized two youths receiving the Outstanding Youth Awards during the evening. 

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The Outstanding Youth Awards spotlight the remarkable contributions and potential of young individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence, innovation, and community service, setting a shining example for their peers.

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Sanaya Nieves and Misael Velez Cruz accepted the Outstanding Youth Awards. Nieves and Cruz have been attending NSNP youth programs since the summer of 2021. 

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Since 2021, both youths have participated in Semillas del Futuro and Raíces de Cambio and continue to impress not only the NSNP staff but also their peers. 

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Havens describes Nieves as “a go-to youth for me to get advice, feedback, and support with program planning and development.”

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Nieves is deeply committed to NSNP as a youth participant, leader, and representative for NSNP at many community events and projects. 

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“Over the last year, Sanaya’s leadership skills have really blossomed. She played a big role in recruitment this Fall, helping to bring in many new KCAPA students and make them feel welcome,” said Taylor-Havens during the award ceremony.

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Like Nieves, Cruz is not only a youth participant but also a youth leader and representative for NSNP. 

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Cruz “cares deeply about his people, is endlessly loyal, and has such a big heart,” said Taylor-Havens, “Misael’s heart is something that is hard to fully put into words, but if you talk to him, you will feel it.”

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Cruz does not only bring joy to NSNP but also the community at large. Whether through planting trees, shoveling snow, or serving piraguas, Cruz supports his community and peers. 

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Once awards concluded for the evening, everyone sat to enjoy a three-course meal together. Over food and drinks, the NSNP community present was able to connect, catch up, reminisce, and imagine the future. 

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PHOTOS.