The EmpowHer Newtown Award Committee, presented by the World Heritage Cultural Center (WHCC), met at HillTop Kitchen for the first time on May 18.

The goal of the EmpowHer Awards is to recognize members of the community that help make positive changes and inspire others in the community.

“There are so many people that do so many things but never get spotlighted or noticed. They deserve that spotlight,” Sattie Persaud, founder of WHCC said.

Persaud is a member of Forbes’ Nonprofit Council thanks to her work with the WHCC being recognized by the magazine in 2023.

There are six awards: Game Changer Entrepreneur Award, Trailblazer Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, Rising Star Award (ages 12-18), SupportHer Award, and a SupportHer Award for ages 12-18. The SupportHer Award is for men in the community that go above and beyond supporting women and their efforts in the area.

Nominees for these awards must live or work in Newtown. The nominations are open from now until July 15. To nominate an individual, visit mywhcc.org/nominate and fill out the first form on the website. To vote for someone, fill out the second form on the page with the person’s name.

The goal of the EmpowHer Newtown Awards is to bring WHCC into the Newtown community.

“We have built this robust, global network and we are ready to share that,” Anindita Nanda, co-chair of the EmpowHer Newtown Awards Committee, said.

“We have an amazing judging committee board that is being set up that includes Police Chief David Kullgren; the former editor of The Newtown Bee, Nancy Crevier; and we are looking for five more individuals to serve,” Alex Villamil, the other co-chair of the EmpowHer Newtown Awards Committee, said.

The awards will be presented on August 24 at HillTop Kitchen, 4 Riverside Road in Sandy Hook. The ceremony will take place from 6-10 pm and the attire is formal. Proceeds from the tickets will go into a scholarship fund to give back to the community for the future generations of children to expand their learning opportunities.

“We want to connect real people with other real people and the hope is that we better humanities,” Persaud explained.