The City’s Events and Recognitions Committee Announces 2024 City of Destiny Award Winners
New this year are the Inspire Tacoma award and Community Showcase
Mayor Victoria Woodards and the City Council will recognize Tacoma’s top volunteers and service providers during the 38th Annual City of Destiny Awards. The ceremony is planned for Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at 6 PM, at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall, 2727 East D Street. Guests are invited to come early for the Community Showcase, featuring the nominee’s connected organizations.
"City Hall cannot solve any of the challenges we face alone. It demands the relentless efforts of dedicated volunteers, the very individuals we are celebrating, to forge Tacoma into the City of Destiny we all desire,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards. “Each one of us possesses the power to actively contribute, enabling us to collaboratively weave the fabric of our community and fortify its resilience. I am grateful for those that we are honoring this year.”
This year’s celebration includes the inaugural Inspire Tacoma award, recognizing individuals or organizations that make a positive impact on the city's continued growth and prosperity through civic engagement, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, or advocacy. Recipient(s) of the first Inspire Tacoma award will be announced at a later date.
The 2024 City of Destiny Award recipients are:
Dedication to the Support of the Arts: Dedicated service performed by an individual to nurturing, preserving, and advancing the arts, enriching communities, and inspiring future generations of artists and arts enthusiasts.
Tacoma Musical Playhouse
Adult Leadership: An individual that inspires others to help meet a need in the community.
Cecily Croskey, Girls Hearts on Fire
Youth Leadership: An individual up to 18 years of age that inspires others to help meet a need in the community.
Hali Harris, Silas High School
Youth Service: Dedicated service performed by an individual that benefits the youth in the community.
Selayna Rudolph, Silas High School
Group: Teamwork on a project that benefits the community.
Empowerment Center
Environmental Sustainability: Individual or group of all ages dedicated to improving, conserving, or protecting the natural environment.
Albert Styers, Metro Parks Tacoma CHIP-In Habitat Steward
Disability Advocate: Professional: Individual professional dedicated to increasing access to services such as employment, health, housing, civics, culture, recreation, facilities, and/or programs for people with disabilities.
Jeremiah Dunlap, Rainer Recovery Group
Economic Development: Group or individual dedicated to improving, encouraging, and promoting sustainable economic development for underrepresented communities.
Julie Davidson, Julie Davidson Group
Equity & Empowerment: Group or individual dedicated to the promotion of social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring all have access to resources and opportunities, with a specific focus on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
Stephanie Love, Pierce County Human Services
The City Council-appointed City Events and Recognitions Committee (CERC) oversees the nomination and awards process for the City of Destiny Awards. More than 320 individuals and groups have received recognition for their outstanding contributions to improving life in Tacoma since the awards’ inception in 1987. For more information on the City of Destiny Awards and for a full list of recipients from past years, visit cityoftacoma.org/CityofDestiny.
About the City’s Events and Recognitions Committee
The City’s Events and Recognitions Committee serves as an advisory and action committee on matters pertaining to City-hosted events and special recognition programs. Members are responsible for planning, reviewing, and evaluating events, as well as engaging the community in its planning efforts for City-hosted events such as City of Destiny Awards and the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration.