Delaware public servants, including students, honored at national 2019 Jefferson Awards
Three Delaware public servants and a state school were honored recently for their good works in Washington, D.C., along with Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller and environmental advocate Avi Garbow.
The June 18 Jefferson Awards awards and dinner gala was hosted by Multiplying Good, a nonprofit that seeks to encourage leadership and honor people who do great things in their community without expectation of recognition.
Students from the St. Elizabeth School Vikings in Action group as well as Christiana Care's Dominic Santillo, New Castle County's Nicole Waters and new mother Giovanna Andrews were among the 150 recipients of this year's award.
Giovanna Andrews
Andrews was honored for the Outstanding Public Service Benefiting the Local Community award. She was nominated by The News Journal, which is a sponsor for the state-level awards.
She founded Harper's Heart, a nonprofit that tries to support expecting mothers by providing essentials like diapers, clothing, blankets and furniture. Andrews experienced the struggles of being a young single mother and wanted to help those in need.
"In the short, under one year, that I started I have impacted over 500 people, given out over 4,000 diapers to the community, diaper bags, clothing, hygiene products," said Andrews in her thank you speech at the national awards.
"I'm just here to share my story and to start a quest to redefine social service, what it looks like, what it feels like and how it is experienced."