The Nonprofit Management Center held its 15th annual Beacon Awards Tuesday at the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
Numerous awards were given out to volunteers and nonprofit organizations from around the Permian Basin.
The awards included the Judge Pat Baskin Family Volunteer of the Year, the W.D. Noel Volunteer of the Year, Excellence in Collaboration, Excellence in Communication, Program Excellence, Excellence in Organizational Leadership, Excellence in Governing Board Leadership and the Outstanding Generations Graduate.
This year’s W.D. Noel Volunteer of the Year went to Sondra and Toby Eoff.
“It’s an honor to be named the W.D. Noel Volunteer of the Year,” Sondra said. “We knew the family of the person that it was named after and they spent countless hours in the community volunteering and doing many philanthropic donations to the community. We love our community and Odessa and all that we can do for Odessa, so we’re proud to be the honorees today.”
Her husband echoed those thoughts.
“There are so many people that are deserving to receive the award,” Toby said. “There are so many people who do so much for the community. We’re just happy to be recognized.”
The W.D. Noel Volunteer of the Year youth division recipient was Madilynn Green, representing the Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest.
Odessa Arts was recognized for this year’s Mural Fest as the organization was awarded Excellence in Communication.
Mural Fest took place in downtown Odessa back in May and was the culmination of two years of planning and preparation.
“Mural Fest was a huge undertaking for everyone involved,” Odessa Arts Board Member Ryan McGuire said. “We had a special committee that was put together to work on mural fest two years before the actual event. Just from the talent that was brought in to paint the murals across town, the local artists that contributed traffic boxes, painting the pianos and other art pieces and then the marketing effort that went into making sure the community knew that there were dozens of people with their hands in the mix. We’re extremely proud of how the event went and the community that showed support for it.”
McGuire said what Odessa Arts has been able to do in recent years (from Mural Fest to Hot Summer Nights) reflects how strong of an art culture the community has.
“Art in general just reflects the heart of a culture,” McGuire said. “When we, as members of Odessa Arts and members of the board and people that participate in anything we put on, it just shows we have a strong, cultural community and how proud Odessans are to live here and make this community better.”
Being recognized for Excellence in Organizational Leadership was Odessa College.
Odessa College President Greg Williams talked about what the award means to the college.
“I’m excited to be here,” Williams said. “I’m honored. I represent Odessa College and our board. We’ve been able to do some great things because of the students we serve and the community we serve and I’m proud to accept this honor on their behalf.”
Williams said this award is in recognition of all the accomplishments Odessa College has had, including the record number of students who have enrolled as well the recent projects on the campus.
“Our ability to work with our community to not only grow the students but also grow the campus and the facilities, it’s taken a community-wide effort and I’m proud to be a part of it,” Williams said.
Excellence in Governing Board Leadership went to Linda Cowden of the Midland College Foundation while the Outstanding Generations Graduate award was given to Brian Stubbs.
The Program Excellence award went to AmeriCorp Senior Program of Senior Life Midland and the Ward County and Monahans Broadband Program from the Monahans Chamber of Commerce.
The Excellence in Communication award went to Bookworms, put together by the Education Foundation of Odessa, Ector County Independent School District, Complex Community Federal Credit Union, Atmos Energy and First Basin Credit Union.
