Nominations for 2022 award close on June 27 and the winner to receive $15,000 Cash Prize
In 2021, Dr. Lydia Clemmons was honored with the Con Hogan award. In a recent interview, Dr. Clemmons talked about her life and work, how she came to be President and Executive Director of the Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte, and what receiving the award means to her. She is the first person of color to receive the award.
The annual award recognizes Con Hogan’s life’s work by rewarding a community leader who shares his vision of a better Vermont and who seizes the responsibility for making that vision a reality. Awardees are individuals who focus on results, use data and measurement to mobilize action, work with people across diverse perspectives, take risks in pursuit of their vision, and persist through setbacks.
Asked whether receiving the award has been important to her, Dr. Clemmons said, “It has been immensely important. To suddenly receive out of the blue such an important recognition is huge—it’s validating, it’s affirming. But I’m also very aware that I’m the first Black Vermonter to receive this award. So I think that’s also immensely important—a distinction for me and for any other person of color in this state.”
She urges everyone in the state to consider nominating someone for the award and to focus on people who are not in the limelight—people who are doing great work but are not being recognized. “When you nominate someone, whether they receive the award or not, being recognized is suddenly new fuel and new energy that can take you an extra thousand miles,” she said.
Watch the interview with Dr. Clemmons.
Nominations are now open for the 2022 award. As in the past, the award will go to an individual selected by a committee representing a broad range of interests and experience including health and human services, the arts, government service, early care and education, agriculture, and civic duty.
The award can be used however the recipient chooses. The awardee must be a Vermont resident who has not yet received the prize and must be nominated by another individual.
Nominations will be accepted through the Vermont Community Foundation’s website until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 27, 2022. The award will be presented at a public event, either virtually or in Montpelier, at 4:30 pm on September 28, 2022.
More Info or Submit a Nomination
The Vermont Community Foundation inspires giving and brings people and resources together to make a difference in Vermont. A family of hundreds of funds and foundations, we provide the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise that make it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love
The heart of the Community Foundation’s work is closing the opportunity gap—the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard they work. We are aligning our time, energy, and discretionary resources on efforts that provide access to early care and learning, pathways to college and career training, support for youth and families, and community and economic vitality. We envision Vermont at its best—where everyone has the opportunity to build a bright, secure future. Visit vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information.