Montgomery Serves Awards 2018
Thank you to Fund for Montgomery with a generous contribution from the Carl M. Freeman Foundation for sponsoring this event!
Follow links to see photos from photographers: Marleen Van Den Neste Photography and Clark Day
2018 Roscoe R. Nix Award Honorees
Honoring community leaders, change agents, and role models who have made extraordinary contributions to Montgomery County over the course of their lives:
TUFAIL AHMAD - SEE VIDEO Tufail Ahmad’s commitment to engage his community and establish trust and understanding across lines of difference has helped us build a vibrant multicultural Montgomery County. By recruiting volunteers and raising funds through the Montgomery County Muslim Foundation (MCMF), Mr. Ahmad has served our neighbors in need regardless of faith, race, or gender. Tufail Ahmad was born and educated in India prior to migrating to Pakistan in 1958. As Pakistan’s Deputy Auditor General, he traveled extensively across the globe. Mr. Ahmad migrated to Montgomery County with his family in 1973, eventually establishing his own business and running it successfully for two decades. He retired from his business in 2000 and dedicated himself to increasing engagement by Muslim Americans in the community at-large. After 9/11, Tufail Ahmad was the right person at the right time in exactly the right place. He urged the many Muslims feeling unsafe and uncertain to get involved in serving the broader community in the true spirit of Islam. To institutionalize this grassroots effort, Mr. Ahmad served as a catalyst for the founding of Montgomery County Muslim Council (MCMC) and founded MCMF. From refugee assistance to transportation for seniors to gift baskets during the holidays to youth empowerment, MCMF has made a difference. Since 2002, MCMC and MCMF have provided hot meals at homeless shelters during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. His honors include Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award, Maryland Governor’s Service Award, and Maryland Muslim Council Lifetime Achievement Award. In presenting Tufail Ahmad with the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award, County Executive Ike Leggett said: “Tufail Ahmad’s story is the Montgomery County story. He brought his family here, created a successful business, and gave back. When the tragic events of 9/11 threatened to divide the nation irreparably, Tufail Ahmad by his personal example helped break hateful stereotypes and build trust across our vibrant community.”
BRIAN FROSH - SEE VIDEO Brian Frosh has been a model servant leader for more than three decades. As a member of the House of Delegates, State Senate, and now as Attorney General, Brian Frosh has dedicated his public service to ensuring fairness, equality, and justice for all. Born and raised in Montgomery County, he was inspired by his father Stanley Frosh who supported civil rights for African Americans as a member of the Montgomery County Council in the 1950s and 1960s. After graduating from Columbia University School of Law, Brian entered private practice. He served in the House of Delegates for two terms from 1987 to 1995 and then served five terms in the Senate, including twelve years as chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee. In the General Assembly, Brian Frosh was admired for championing progressive causes while reaching out to those with different views. Senator Frosh led the effort to enact gun safety legislation called among the most effective in the nation and was regarded as one of Maryland’s leading environmentalists. Elected as Attorney General of Maryland in 2014, Brian Frosh is focused on keeping communities safe, limiting environmental damage by polluters, safeguarding vulnerable populations, and protecting Maryland consumers from fraud and predatory business practices. Brian Frosh has been honored by Sierra Club, American Lung Association, Maryland State Bar Association, and Maryland League of Conservation Voters. In presenting Brian Frosh with the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award, County Executive Ike Leggett said: “Brian Frosh has dedicated his life to the principle of justice for all that is the bedrock of our democratic system of government. As the People’s Lawyer since 2015 and as a state legislator for more than a quarter century, Brian has worked tirelessly to ensure that every resident of Montgomery County and the State of Maryland is treated with dignity and respect.”
LINDA PLUMMER - SEE VIDEO Linda Plummer has dedicated her life to removing the barriers that keep people from realizing their full potential. She has advocated for people of color. She has spoken up for the invisible and voiceless poor. As a leader of the NAACP, Linda Plummer has tirelessly battled racism, bigotry, and prejudice. Born into a family of farmers, teachers, and builders in Gaithersburg, Linda Plummer was raised to serve others. All of her life, she has been at the center of change surrounded by family and friends engaged in volunteer community service. Her family members have been staunch NAACP supporters. In the 1980s, NAACP chapter president Roscoe Nix appointed her as membership committee chair. She moved up to vice president. From 1998 to 2006 and again since 2012, Linda Plummer has followed in the footsteps of her mentor Roscoe Nix serving as chapter president of the NAACP. Under her leadership of the NAACP, she formed a Civilian Review Committee that led to a Department of Justice review and significant restitution to county residents. The chapter launched a Multicultural Community Partnership and instituted a Parents Council. Ms. Plummer has served on many community boards, including Wells Robertson House, Mobile Medical, and Rockville Chamber of Commerce. Her many honors include Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame, Maryland Governor’s Lifetime Volunteer & Service Award, and J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association Community Service Award. In presenting Linda Plummer with the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award, County Executive Ike Leggett said: “When it was time for Roscoe Nix and others of the civil rights generation to pass the torch, Linda Plummer was there to carry on the fight for equity and justice for all. She has dedicated her life to supporting the dream of Dr. King and Roscoe Nix right here in Montgomery County.”
See more about the Roscoe R. Nix Distinguished Community Leadership Award and links to past awardees
Neal Potter Path of Achievement 2018 Awardees
Honoring lifetime volunteer service by those age 60 and up:
CHIH-HSIANG LI - SEE VIDEO Chaih-Hsiang Li has dedicated decades of service to the Chinese-American community, as co-founder of the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center in 1982 and as its volunteer executive director for the past five years. Mr. Li has been instrumental in building the capacity of the organization to meet the changing needs of the community. Under his leadership, CCACC has seen steady growth and expansion, and has almost tripled the services provided to the community.
SHARYN R. DUFFIN - SEE VIDEO
Sharyn Duffin has played a unique, invaluable role in elevating appreciation of the historical role of African Americans in Montgomery County’s development as the diverse, inclusive community it is today. Through her community involvement, Sharyn has kept alive the heroic story of black residents’ strong community‐building spirit, mutual‐support ethic, and constant striving for justice and betterment.
See more about the Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award and links to past honorees
Volunteer of the Year Award
Recognizing outstanding volunteer service performed during the previous calendar year in four categories: |
Volunteer of the Year: Jane Callen , who devoted more than 1,300 volunteer hours during 2017 with the American Red Cross, Glen Echo Fire Department, and JSSA Hospice. She displays a passionate commitment to all of her volunteer endeavors – from providing disaster relief to hurricane victims, serving as a first responder in Montgomery County, and offering end of life support. |
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Youth Volunteer of the Year: Esmirna Gutierrez Campusano , a Kennedy High School sophomore who has been volunteering with Montgomery Housing Partnership’s Homework Club since she was in sixth grade. A former program participant, Esmirna has remained solidly invested as a volunteer, helping to improve the quality of life and increasing opportunities for the young people who reside in Montgomery Housing Partnership properties and neighborhoods. |
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Volunteer Group of the Year: Comfort Cases: The volunteers at Comfort Cases assemble backpacks filled with essential items for children entering the foster care system, who often come to a new home carrying what few belongings they have in a trash bag. Comfort Cases volunteers come together to give these children some of the “comforts of home” to make them feel a bit more secure in the midst of chaos. |
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Corporate Volunteer of the Year: Apex Home Loans: Employees actively support a variety of causes that contribute to the health and welfare of our community. The company’s community involvement program, Apex in Action, supports the organizations and causes that Apex employees value by providing them with multiple opportunities for giving and volunteering. |
See past honorees by clicking on the annual award links on the left toolbar.
Thank you to Fund for Montgomery with a generous contribution from the Carl M. Freeman Foundation for sponsoring this event!
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