The League of Women Voters of Hillsborough and Pasco Counties (HCLWV) is announcing the selection of two distinguished individuals to be honored for their contributions to our local community and the state of Florida.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will speak at the event in recognition of their achievements.
Sharon Streater and Carlton Ward Jr. will be honored at the HCLWV’s Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon on Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Shanna and Bryan Glazer JCC, 522 N. Howard Ave., Tampa.
Tickets and sponsorships are available now and start at $55.
Sharon Streater – 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Sharon Streater has dedicated 34 years to teaching, training, organizing, and empowering community members with HOPE, the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality, an organization that has united diverse faith-based groups to improve the quality of life in Hillsborough County. She recently retired from her latest role as HOPE’s Lead Organizer.
Based on shared values of justice, fairness, love of neighbor, and the dignity of all people, HOPE’s mission is to train residents to identify common community problems, to research long-term solutions, and to build collective power and skills to hold systems accountable to implement those solutions for their communities.
Carlton Ward Jr. –2024 Sydney & Thalia Potter Civic Leadership Award Recipient
Carlton Ward Jr. is a conservation photographer and National Geographic Explorer whose passion for nature was born from the Florida landscape. For more than 20 years, his mission has been to inspire appreciation and protection of Florida’s original nature and culture – the endangered wildness that is often hidden in plain sight but very much needs our attention to be saved.
He began his career working with the Smithsonian Institution in Central Africa, and in 2004, he retrained his focus on his native Florida, motivated by eight generations of family heritage and a drive to bring new attention and protection to the state’s under-appreciated wild heart.
Carlton published Florida Cowboys in 2009 and founded the Florida Wildlife Corridor project in 2010. With fellow explorers Mallory Dimmitt and Joe Guthrie, he has since trekked more than 2,000 miles through the Corridor during two National Geographic-supported expeditions, which both produced award-winning books, PBS films, and widespread outreach for the statewide vision to keep Florida wild.
Registration and sponsorship information for the event is available at www.hclwv.org/laa. Organizers may be reached at laa@hclwv.org, or at 813-461-5365.
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