POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho’s Hometown Hero Medal Ceremony and Gala presents its 2022 recipients to be honored on Saturday, September 10, on the tenth Annual Idaho Hometown Hero Awards Ceremony, Gala Celebration and charity companion exposition on the Stephens Performing Arts Heart in Pocatello.

The free companion exposition will happen from 4 to six p.m., adopted by the free medal ceremony from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The ticketed gala occasion is bought out for 2022.

“This yr’s medal recipients are an unbelievable group of women and men who exemplify our 2022 occasion theme ‘Resilience in Unsure Occasions,’” JRM Basis Government Director Beena Mannan mentioned. “We hope many individuals will attain out to us to honor these individuals who hold our group collectively and affluent.”

Idaho’s Hometown Hero Medal Ceremony keynote speaker, Cherie Buckner-Webb, can also be a 2022 Hometown Hero Medal recipient. Cherie Buckner-Webb is a fifth-generation Idahoan who has been relentlessly serving the better Idaho group for a few years. A founding father of the Precept of Sojourner Teaching, she is also a global speaker. Buckner-Webb serves on quite a few boards and committees that promote group wellbeing with a number of awards and recognitions as an completed Black girl, chief and Idaho Senator. Buckner-Webb was the primary Black particular person elected to the Idaho Legislature. She served within the Idaho Legislature as State Consultant for 2 years and ten years as State Senator till her retirement in 2020.   

“We’re delighted to have Cherie Buckner-Webb as our keynote speaker for this yr’s return of Idaho’s Hometown Hero Awards,” Government Director Beena Rahim mentioned. “Cherie Buckner-Webb exemplifies our theme ‘Resilience in Unsure Occasions.’ As a lady in Idaho, she has achieved a terrific deal and moved Idaho ahead. It’s an honor to have her be a part of this momentous event.”

Cherie Buckner-Webb

Boise

2022 Keynote for tenth Annual Idaho Hometown Hero Awards Ceremony

Cherie Buckner-Webb is a fifth-generation Idahoan who has been relentlessly serving the better Idaho group for a few years. She is the founding father of the Precept of Sojourner Teaching, a consultancy specializing in organizational improvement, cross-cultural competence and government teaching. She is a global speaker and serves on quite a few boards and committees that promote group wellbeing. Buckner-Webb is a founding board member of the Idaho Black Historical past Museum, winner of the H.P. Human Rights Award, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, Idaho Mom of the Yr and Mom of Achievement Awards (American Moms, Inc.), the Joyce Stein Award, the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award—A Legacy of Peace Award, “USA Right now” (1 of 10) Girls of the Century, 2020, the “Idaho Enterprise Evaluate” 2019 Lady of the Yr Award and 2020 ICON Award. She has additionally obtained the Award for Excellence within the Arts on the 2004 Idaho Governor’s Awards for her vocal abilities and contribution to the musical arts in Idaho. Buckner-Webb was the primary Black particular person elected to the Idaho Legislature. She served within the Idaho Legislature as State Consultant for 2 years and ten years as State Senator till her retirement in 2020.   

Karl Pettit

Pocatello

Karl Pettit is the director for Valley Mission and the worship/arts pastor at First Baptist Church. He serves on a number of committees with town and different organizations, specializing in starvation, poverty and homelessness, all with the purpose of getting these in have to a spot of consolation, safety and success. He has been concerned in First Baptist Meals Pantry since its inception in 2010 and helped to launch Valley Mission as a separate 501(c) 3 group in 2017. Pettit and his group serve hundreds of households every year by means of the pantry. In collaboration with a number of native organizations and the mayor, he has labored laborious to search out viable options to winter warming shelter areas for these on the streets and won’t cease till everlasting, protected choices can be found. In his position as director for Valley Mission, he has visited numerous rescue missions in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Texas, and Idaho to raised perceive operations, structure, packages, assist and extra. Since Valley Mission acquired the previous Metro Spa constructing in 2020, he has been concerned in all phases, from design and development to grant writing and board improvement. Moreover, he has helped forge collaborations with a number of businesses to raised serve these by means of the mission. Examples embrace The Free Clinic, the Disaster Heart, Hope and Restoration, D6 Well being, Probation and Parole, PWCC and a lot extra. He’s keen about not solely serving to these in our group who’re in want however giving them the sources, instruments and assist they should stand on their very own two toes. With the assist of the Transformational Residing Program that Valley Mission will provide, this may grow to be a actuality within the subsequent yr. “So as to assist folks—I imply assist folks— give them the instruments and abilities and hope they should do issues on their very own,” mentioned Pettit. “Set them up with a assist system that can carry them past their studying to allow them to dwell life, not in a vacuum or alone, however in the neighborhood that can breed success.” 

Pettit is concerned with an incredible group of volunteers at First Baptist Church. Over his 21+ years in service, he has skilled each the highs and lows of church ministry in addition to launched some new components of ministry, together with video, media and extra. He’s concerned in serving to church buildings develop and develop worship and humanities ministry and leads on the annual Management Convention in Publish Falls every year.

John Herbert McDonald

Ketchum

John Herbert McDonald served as Crew Chief of an HU-1 Huey Helicopter for Main Basic Fred C. Wayand, 25^th Division commander in Cu Chi, Vietnam. He turned the Ketchum Postmaster in 1973, and this fall will mark 55 years of dedication to the Postal Service at 80. McDonald is a member of the Wooden River Rotary Membership, Founder and Board Member of the North American Moose Basis and a lifetime member of the Safari Membership Worldwide and Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife Companies, Southern Idaho Division. McDonald served on the Blaine County Planning and Zoning Committee for over a decade. He’s additionally on the Ketchum Cemetery Board, serving as chairman. For greater than 20 years, he has dedicated his time and vitality to the Swiftsure Therapeutic Using Heart as a founder and board member. McDonald can also be a lifetime member of the American Legion, Ketchum Publish 115, the place he has been nominated and served as commander numerous instances, as soon as for 5 consecutive years. From flipping pancakes for the Wagon Days Papoose Membership Pancake Breakfast when his children have been younger to using down Essential Road Idaho because the Blaine County Honest Grand Marshall in 2017, McDonald has been a neighborhood fixture in Blaine County for many of his life and continues to be a rancher and operating cows south of Kimberly.

Lejla Becirovic

Twin Falls

Lejla Becirovic is a master-level social employee working for Idaho Dwelling Well being and Hospice. Becirovic migrated to Twin Falls in 1994 from war-torn Bosnia. As a refugee and survivor of ethnic cleaning in Bosnia, Becirovic has devoted her personal {and professional} life to advocating for deprived populations and serving to others. Becirovic is the award-winning writer of “Past Borders: A Story of Struggle, Love, and Loss” a memoir detailing her escape from war-torn Bosnia and educating her group on refugees. She continues to coach and provides voice to youngsters of warfare and humanize these which were dehumanized for hundreds of years. Becirovic speaks on the School of Southern Idaho every semester, educating new social staff on cultural humility and he or she can also be an award-winning worldwide artist. She is thought in the neighborhood as “Artwork by Lejla.” Becirovic has made it her mission to alter the world by donating her artwork proceeds to varied native and nationwide causes. She has participated in quite a few fundraisers, together with Hospice Promise Basis, which assists native hospice sufferers with final needs and burial prices. Becirovic teaches Journey By way of Artwork teams at native senior houses to reduce the damaging impression of isolation throughout the COVID pandemic on the aged. As well as, she has spent 5 years volunteering her time creating hand molds for hospice sufferers. These replicas of sufferers’ and relations’ hand molds grow to be tangible objects the household can cherish for generations to come back. Becirovic obtained two letters from the president of the USA for her advocacy for deprived populations. She is a recipient of a Nationwide Hospice Hero award in 2018 and 2019. This fall, Becirovic shall be in Sarajevo working with an orphanage helping in getting faculty provides to youngsters who’re simply forgotten by their group. She continues to search for methods to make an impression on this world.

Rick Phillips

Pocatello

As president of the Pocatello Rotary Membership, Rick Phillips has guided the membership’s many service initiatives, starting from a Garments Closet for needy individuals to a 5K run for charity. As governor of Rotary District 5400’s over 40 Rotary Golf equipment, Phillips motivated and assisted the golf equipment in enterprise many native and several other worldwide initiatives, together with agricultural help, a water nicely for an remoted group and a library for a faculty for deprived youngsters in Central America, South America and Africa. As well as, Phillips has introduced student-athletes to Pocatello from throughout Idaho, a number of different states, and even international international locations to the Simplot Video games. Annually Phillips invitations and hosts about six well-known Olympic Gold Medal winners to look on the Video games, offering student-athletes the chance to speak with the Olympians. Most importantly, he partnered with Pocatello’s Faculty District 25 on a number of actions, and he organizes exceedingly useful academic farm security camps every year for younger college students throughout Idaho and Western Wyoming.

David Rhuter

Buhl

Dave Rhuter is a devoted volunteer for the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, the place he’s a swift water technician, a public security diver and a high-angle rope technician. A public security employee’s job is complicated, and as a volunteer, he has dedicated himself to serving to others in any respect prices. He’s usually referred to as out to get better somebody who has perished, and for a volunteer, that may be extraordinarily troublesome. Nevertheless, Rhuter has additionally devoted his life to serving to the youth of his group. As a scuba diver teacher, Rhuter works with children in danger and supplies them with a optimistic outlet by instructing them how you can dive and get licensed as an open water diver, all at his expense. He believes that if he may give these younger folks alternatives, it might present them with confidence in themselves and probably attempt in the direction of excellence.

Jamar Brown

Pocatello

Jamar Brown is a local Idahoan, having been raised and educated within the Gem State. She and her husband Steven have lived in Pocatello for 30 years. They’ve loved working facet by facet within the native enterprise business. They’ve been actively engaged within the nonprofit sector for many years and are invested in the neighborhood. Brown’s most up-to-date civic involvement was as Chair of the Human Relations Advisory Committee for the Metropolis of Pocatello. She has been on the Licensed Studying Institute Group for NeighborWorks Pocatello and continues to learn from the Variety Coaching Program supplied by NeighborWorks America. Brown was President of the League of Girls Voters of Pocatello and served as state Secretary and president of the League of Girls’s Voters of Idaho. Brown and her husband plan to proceed to reside in Pocatello in retirement. Brown is dedicated to her household and their ongoing care. She is keen about her civic platform of social justice and could be very grateful to have been allowed to serve her group.

Chris Osborne

Pocatello

Chris Osborne is a tribal member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Fort Corridor. He’s a Native American homosexual man and a Pocatello LGBTQ2S group member. For the previous 21 years, Osborne has been performing as a drag queen entertainer, Crystlll Blue. In 2002, he was chosen as a 2002 Winter Olympics torchbearer in Salt Lake Metropolis for his dedication to his group. His ardour, power, optimistic drive and love for the LGBTQ2S group are unfailing. He organizes and hosts many LGBTQ2S occasions for consciousness and charities, which embrace diabetes, suicide, bullying, most cancers, Trans DOE, Lacking and Murdered Indigenous Lady, Southeastern Idaho-Pleasure, homosexual grownup and youth pageants and the Utah Homosexual Rodeo Affiliation (Utah and Idaho). Osborne travels to occasions in numerous cities and states to indicate his want, attempt and dedication, which is all the time above and past most individuals and providing his coronary heart and soul for the sake of others being completely satisfied. When his mom not too long ago handed away, he had three occasions throughout her funeral, however he stood by his commitments and her revealing his monumental coronary heart for others. Osborne is selfless and caring for what he does. It’s not for him. His function, purpose, and dedication to realize and succeed are unbelievable and rewarding.

Kent Oram

Pocatello

Kent Oram has served because the president and CEO of ICCU (Idaho Central Credit score Union) since 2007. Throughout his time, ICCU has grow to be one among Idaho’s fastest-growing credit score unions, with one in 5 Idahoans as members. Underneath his management, ICCU has been named the Finest Place to Work in Idaho for a few years. In 2014, Oram was inducted into the Credit score Union Government Society’s Corridor of Fame. Oram has led his group with a full-steam-ahead method to make ICCU one of many greatest credit score unions within the U.S. Underneath his management, ICCU supported its members, households and companies by means of the Nice Recession of 2007-08. Throughout a pandemic, his revolutionary management types helped ICCU staff, members and quite a few firms succeed by means of these unsure instances and helped hundreds of companies by shortly rolling out the PPP program. So as to add to his unbelievable management, Oram has fostered a group engagement tradition, which constantly helps different companies and small enterprise homeowners after they face hardships.

Juan Alvarez

Idaho Falls

Juan Alvarez is Chief Operations Officer and Government Vice President of Battelle Power Alliance, LLC., the administration and working entity for the Idaho Nationwide Laboratory (INL). Juan has over 30 years of expertise in administration and operations with the USA Navy and as a contractor to the Division of Power. Earlier than becoming a member of INL in 2005 as a part of the brand new Battelle contract, Alvarez served as Director of Facility Operations on the Pacific Northwest Nationwide Laboratory for 5 years. Alvarez additionally served as Director of Inner Audit, Assurance and High quality on the Pantex Plant, the nation’s nuclear weapons meeting and disassembly facility, and as Supervisor of Laboratory Operations with EG&G Idaho. Alvarez was commissioned as an officer within the U.S. Navy in 1985, serving six years as a nuclear propulsion officer within the submarine fleet. He was awarded the Navy Commendation and two Navy Achievement medals throughout his service. Alvarez is a graduate of the College of Miami, the place he earned a bachelor’s in schooling, and a graduate of the College of Idaho, the place he earned a Grasp’s in Industrial Know-how. Present board service consists of the College of Tennessee-Battelle, LLC. (chair, operations committee), Blue Cross of Idaho (member of Audit and High quality committees), Idaho Regional Optical Community (alternate director) and Idaho Fee on Hispanic Affairs (chair). Previous board service consists of Japanese Idaho Regional Medical Heart (chair and vice chair), Japanese Idaho Technical School Basis (chair, finance committee), Companions for Prosperity (chair) and Power Facility Contractors Working Group (vice chair). Alvarez additionally chairs the Battelle Operations Council, a discussion board of all Chief Operations Officers from all Battelle-affiliated Laboratories and the Nationwide Laboratory Chief Operations Officers Working Group. He’s previous chair of the Metropolis of Idaho Falls’ “Connecting Us, Sustaining Progress (CUSP)” initiative, a two-year effort to establish alternatives to enhance the wellbeing of residents by means of schooling, range and inclusion, group enrichment, financial improvement, sustainability, security and well being. Alvarez is married and has two daughters, one son and three granddaughters.