Nomination Period is Open for the Sage Awards through January 31
The dictionary defines a “sage” as “a profoundly wise person; someone venerated for the possession of wisdom, judgment and experience.” For the fifth year, the Council on Aging of Martin County’s Sage Awards will celebrate and honor the many sages who reside on the Treasure Coast; these sages who uplift our communities and inspire us with their relentless dedication to making the world a better place.
Do you know a Sage who deserves to be recognized? The Council on Aging is accepting nominations for the 5th annual Sage Awards through January 31, 2020.
Since 2016, 124 outstanding seniors have been nominated for Sage Awards. Their biographies could not be more diverse. Here are a few examples: a pair of nuns who founded a center to support poor immigrant families in Indiantown; a World War II veteran who, at 84, started a nonprofit to provide service dogs to other veterans suffering from PTSD; a nationally renowned economic journalist who is planning a decades-long transformation of western Martin County; the first college graduate of her family who became a gifted educator and, in her 90s, continues to follow her passion of uplifting vulnerable members of her community. The common thread among them is the desire to keep doing more, long after others would have settled into a quiet retirement.
This year’s honorees for the Charlie Kane Award also exemplify the spirit of the Sage Awards. Dr. Linda S. Kardos and Dr. Howard Robbins have been pillars of the medical community, providing thorough, thoughtful medical care and leadership in Stuart for over 30 years. Outside their busy internal medicine practice, they dedicate their time, treasure and expertise to many local charitable organizations, including Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, Martin Health Foundation, Humane Society of the Treasure Coast, and many more.
Eligible Sage Award nominees are residents of Martin, St. Lucie or Indian River counties who are age 60 or better. Individuals can be nominated for the following categories: Arts and Culture; Community Service, Education, Health Science and Medicine, or Remarkable Caregiver. Nomination forms are available at www.kanecenter.org/foundation/sage-awards or at the Kane Center located at 900 SE Salerno Road in Stuart.
All nominees will be honored at the 5th annual Sage Awards dinner and presentation on Thursday, March 26 at Harbour Ridge Yacht and Country Club in Palm City. The Honorary Chairman is past Sage Award winner and noted philanthropist, H. William Lichtenberger. In addition to the Sage Awards, this year’s event will feature a keynote speech by Dr. Mark Brody, “Getting Close to a Cure for Alzheimer’s.” Dr. Brody is President and Founder of Brain Matters Research, one of the largest Alzheimer’s disease clinical research facilities in the country.
The Sage Awards is the signature fundraiser for the Council on Aging, which is the unparalleled resource for expertise, programming and support for seniors in Martin County. For more information about nominations and sponsorship opportunities, call 772.223.7827.
Pictured above: The winners of the 2019 Sage Awards. Standing: Robert Weissman, Jane Ditmars, Dr. Alfred B. (Al) Warren, Helen Cook, Dr. John W. Enyart, John P. (Jack) Forde, Robert (Bob) Schneider, Don Cuozzo. Seated: Carol Weissman, Diane Graczyk, Elizabeth (Bette) Evans. Not pictured: Mary Kay Buckridge
