We are proud to announce our 2024 Annual Award Winners, presented by Citizens Energy Group and Corteva Agriscience.
This announcement was made today with a full page, back cover ad in the Indianapolis Business Journal. Below are the award winners & a brief summary of their contributions.
The President’s Award is our highest honor, and one that our outgoing Board Chair Jenna Barnett certainly deserves. Over the years, her service to Noble has taken many forms, including as a member & leader on our Board of Directors, volunteer work through the Noble Auxiliary, public advocacy on our behalf & personal support as a donor.
The Partnership Award honors individuals, businesses & organizations that partner with Noble to promote our mission. For many years, Mark Plassman has chaired our Noble Golf Classic, leading a group of volunteers to spend countless hours making each year’s event even better than the one before. Mark and his wife Kristin also generously serve as its Title Sponsor.
Champion Award winner Rich Garrison works hard on behalf of CBRE and in partnership with Eli Lilly to help ensure that the people we serve who are employed on the Lilly campus through Noble Employment and Workforce Services (N.E.W.S.) are successful on the job.
The Lifetime of Giving Award is given to individuals & organizations that generously strengthen Noble’s capacity to serve our community. It was presented to Mark & Sharon Bruin in recognition for their many years of generously supporting Noble’s mission.
This year’s Employment Award honors Market District for their commitment to diversifying their workforce by incorporating the contributions of people with disabilities.
The Citizenship Award is presented each year to a person served by Noble who has made significant strides toward realizing their dreams and goals. Kate Lehman received this honor in recognition of the hard work she put into realizing her dream of living on her own for the first time.
Each year, the Noble Auxiliary selects one of its own as their Auxiliary Member of the Year. This year’s honoree is Victoria Ehlerding for the many hours she has devoted as a member & former President to ensuring the Auxiliary’s continued success in hosting our annual Noble Evening in the Garden.
The Marissa Manlove Distinguished Service Award–named after a former staff member who now serves on our Board–recognizes our employee of the year. This year, we are proud to honor Levoria Sargent for her selfless commitment to ensuring that the individuals she works with through Community Living are empowered to achieve their goals.
Named in honor of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s mother, the Harriet P. Irsay Distinguished Parent Award recognizes parents & family members who set an example for us all. Jim & Christine Held model the virtues of parenthood by how they have raised their sons and used public speaking opportunities to advocate for the rights of all individuals with disabilities.
This year’s Volunteer of the Year is Eric Hoots, who continues to outdo himself in his support of Noble. Through the countless volunteer hours he’s spent to ensure that our fundraising events are successful, he shines as a light for others to follow.
We would also like to recognize the generosity of the following for their support of this year’s Annual Awards.
