FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2009

Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities Seeks Nominations for Awards Honoring Local Residents and Organizations

Nominations Due April 30

The Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities is seeking nominations for three annual awards that honor local residents and organizations.

• The John Duty Collins III Outstanding Advocate Award recognizes an individual who has advocated for persons with disabilities. The award comes with a $500 donation in the recipient’s name to an organization of the recipient’s choice that contributes to the promotion of equal opportunity for persons with disabilities.
• The Community Organization Grant provides up to $1,000 in assistance to a nonprofit organization in the City working to remove barriers and extend services to persons with disabilities.
• The Gerry Bertier Scholarship awards a merit-based scholarship worth up to $1,500 to a student with a disability who seeks post-secondary education. Residents of the City and students at schools located in the Alexandria are eligible. The Scholarship was established in honor and recognition of the accomplishments of Gerry Bertier, a T.C. Williams High School graduate, who became severely disabled after he co-captained the Titans in their fabled 1971 football season.

Nominations must be submitted by April 30. To find the nomination form, visit alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/humanrights/awardsNotification.pdf. The Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities, along with Mayor William D. Euille and the members of the Alexandria City Council, will present the winners with their awards at a reception to be held in the Vola Lawson Lobby at City Hall on Tuesday, June 23. For more information, reasonable accommodation, or an alternative format contact Mike Hatfield at mike.hatfield@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3148, 711 TTY.