Brothers United In Leadership Development (BUILD) hosted our 1st Annual Mother’s Day Award Celebration on May 15, 2021. This event was designed to honor and celebrate the women in from community who not only raised us, but raised us up, support and uplift our community, and operated as our healers, teachers, and guides. Our award is named the Lottie Cross Community Service Award and is named for Ms. Lottie Cross, who was an evangelist for healthy food who partnered with other community organizations to improve access to healthy food for the Black community, particularly in Seattle’s Central Area where many lived. Her legacy as a proponent of healthy communities of color and as a change-maker in Seattle, led us to honor 11 amazing women at our event this year who exemplify the definition of being community mothers and leaders for those in the greater Seattle area.
The 2021 Brothers United In Leadership Development Mother’s Day Lottie Cross Community Service Award honorees were: Yvette Tolson, TraeAnna Holiday, Shereese Rhodes, Peola Johnson, Mary Flowers, Karen Washington Jeffrey, Judy Ellis, Ethel Evans, Emijah Smith, Bessie Gordon-Verrett and Patti Petesch.
To keep our community safe and healthy, this year's BUILD Mother’s Day Award Celebration was held virtually. To ensure all of our honorees felt the love, our team made sure to visit each special lady and present them with their Lottie Cross Community Service Award, a gift card, a I Love BUILD T-Shirt and other gifts. A small token of our appreciation for these amazing women to show them how much we love and appreciate their service to our community.
Check out some of the photos of our honorees from this year’s event. Be on the lookout for our 2022 Mother’s Day Event. We are excited to honor more amazing women from our community, and hopefully do it in-person.