MONROE, Louisiana (KNOE) – The Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Louisiana honored a Monroe woman with its 2024 annual Angel Award.
The Angel Award® honors ordinary people who go above and beyond to improve the health and lives of children in Louisiana. Hillary Sirmon, founder of Miracles to Milestones in Monroe, is one of the eight Angel Award recipients.
Miracles to Milestones honors the memory of Sirmon’s son, Benjamin, by building inclusive playgrounds where children of all abilities can play together.
The other winners of the Angel Award 2024 are:
- Kathy Coleman from Baton Rougethe volunteer executive director of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Louisiana, which provides support and resources to families with children in the care of grandparents or other family members, ensuring they have everything they need to thrive
- Erin Davison, MBAof Lake Charles, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana, the region’s largest mentoring network supported by donors and volunteers that provides each child with a positive role model as a friend, mentor and supporter.
- Caryl Ewing from New RoadsBoard member of the Pointe Coupee Early Childhood Coalition, which works to ensure that all young children in the region have access to the highest quality developmental and educational programs that give them a better start during a critical period of human development.
- Aaron Frumin from New OrleansFounder and CEO of unCommon Construction, where young people learn skills, earn certifications, and gain experience to become leaders in the construction industry, paving a path to economic freedom and generational prosperity.
- Kimberly Evans Novod of New Orleansthe founder of Saul’s Light, a nonprofit named in memory of her son Saul, provides support and community to families with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) – an experience that can otherwise burden them emotionally and financially for a lifetime
- Dr. Annie W. Spell of LafayetteLong-time volunteer and board member at Hearts of Hope, Acadiana’s only sexual trauma center, providing services to both child and adult victims
- Jamon Turner from Haughtonthe founder of Just Believe Training, where he uses agricultural programs and equine therapy to inspire and empower children and give them access to social and professional opportunities in one of Louisiana’s largest industries
In honor of the 30th anniversary of the BCBS Foundation of Louisiana, each award winner selects a local nonprofit to receive a $30,000 grant from the Foundation.
Each year, the BCBS Foundation selects one additional individual to honor in addition to the Angel Award recipients. This additional individual is recognized as a Blue Angel—someone who is an employee of BCBS of Louisiana (now Louisiana Blue) and has impacted the lives of children through their volunteer work.
The 2024 Blue Angel honoree is Erin Powell of Monroe.
Powell is a pharmacist in the medication adherence department of Louisiana BCBS. She is also the founder of Project 2.5+, a warehouse that collects items and raises funds to provide foster children and their families with personal items such as toys, clothing and hygiene products.
“As we have for the past 30 years, each class of Angels represents people from all walks of life who work in many different areas to help children,” said Michael Tipton, president of the BCBS Foundation of Louisiana. “But each honoree embodies the best of Louisiana’s spirit and culture: rolling up their sleeves and doing what needs to be done to support our people.”
The Foundation encourages community members to support this year’s honorees by tuning in to the Angel Awards Gala broadcast on October 21 at 6:30 p.m.
“Many organizations have been energized by the energy and attention this award has generated,” Tipton said. “We hope to inspire others to engage with our angels – whether as clients, partners, donors or volunteers. Something as simple as logging into the live stream and clicking the share button is an easy and powerful way to help these people.”
The gala will be held at the Manship Theater in Baton Rouge. A live stream of the event can be found at www.facebook.com/BCBSLAFound.
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