Unsung Heros Program search for nominees

First Caribbean Bank’s Unsung Heroes program has been running since 2003. It’s a recognition program that promotes individuals who give and work tirelessly to develop the community. The local coordinator of the program says that the bank is asking the public to make nominations of outstanding individuals in society. The winner will receive a monetary award to continue the development and growth of his or her cause.

Irene Hernandez, Local Coordinator, Unsung Heroes
“What we are looking for is ordinary people in our society who are doing extraordinary things for the community and to help their fellow men. We go about soliciting nominations from the general public and the entire Belize population. We ask that they look in their communities for people who are serving others selflessly and with no reward, no monies, no resources or limited resources in their pockets and they just do it from the heart. So we’re looking for those people, we’re trying to identify those people for 2009.”

Jose Sanchez
“Those people can actually receive a monetary award and recognition right?”

Irene Hernandez
“Yes, the unsung heroes program actually offers an award of financial assistance to the tune of twelve thousand Belize dollars or six thousand U.S. which they use for their causes or the work that they do. That’s for the local hero. The program runs on two levels actually, we have local level and the regional level. On the local level we select the unsung hero who would get that twelve thousand dollars and then they are legible to participate in a regional competition, which if they win, which we have done four out of the last six years, they win an additional seven thousand, five hundred U.S.”

Previous winners of the Unsung Heroes include Florence Dillett, Margaret Juan, Gloria Edwards, as well as Tubal School proprietor’s Lyndon and Lavern Bailey.