FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. (February 12, 2023) – In a community where so many people stand out for good works and kind gestures, it wasn’t difficult to decide on the inaugural recipients of the Lady of the Year and Gentleman of the Year awards.
A little background.
While some accolades are earned by paying a fee to submit a nomination or purchasing extra advertising to get a feature during the contest nomination period, Flagler News Weekly’s recognition comes straight from the heart.
When looking back on 2022 at the things most important to Flagler News Weekly from a community effort, two major things stood out – the Million Dollar Food-a-Thon and the revival of the in-person Pink Army 5K also known as the Pink On Parade, hosted by AdventHealth.
Lady of the Year 2022 – Donna Davis, eXp Realtor, The Darren Davis Team
If you listen to the podcast and radio show Lifeline from February 11, 2023, you get a front row seat to the conversation with Donna. Like all of us, she’s had challenges. But the underlying beauty of her outreach to the community is creating a seat at the table for everyone, and she’s done so through the Ladies of Flagler County Facebook group, which is how we came to connect.
As a member of the Pink Army committee, I reached out to a number of people including Donna to help create teams to participate. The October breast cancer awareness walk had been held virtually for the past several years due to COVID and it was an all hands on deck effort to get folks ready to lace up their shoes and hit the pavement.
In addition to participants, each year organizations from around Flagler County create fundraisers to help support the monthlong effort, knowing that every penny stays right here in our community to help those who may not be able to afford diagnostic services get the screenings and treatments needed.
Tapping into the LOFC network to help create a magical experience through a ‘Power In Pink’ bake off, supported by our friends at the Flagler Woman’s Club in conjunction with many other women from across the community, including The Boss Ladies of Flagler County, the fundraiser was fun and successful.
Of course, Donna didn’t stop there. Recruiting friends and businesses associates to be on the LOFC team, the group pulled out all the stops to make their tent at the Pink Army 5K unforgettable. Personally purchasing and cooking up 40 pounds of bacon and flipping hundreds of pancakes for a donation, all the funds were presented to the AdventHealth Palm Coast Foundation to support the effort.
Everyone enjoyed the good-natured competitiveness leading up to the event and it really helped bring a fun vibe to the day.
My own mom is a breast cancer survivor, and this is a cause near and dear to my heart.
Knowing how many women in our community are helped by the selfless giving of people like Donna, who didn’t have to put in the tremendous effort, but did so from the goodness of her heart, Donna Davis is our 2022 Flagler News Weekly Lady of the Year.
Gentleman of the Year 2022 – David Ayres, General Manger and President of Flagler Broadcasting
For a guy who spends his days promoting and spotlighting others, 2022 is the year David Ayres gets a spotlight of his own. Sure, he’s been one of Radio INK magazine’s nationally recognized ‘Top General Mangers in Radio’, and he was named President in 2022 after 10 years at the helm as the Vice President of Flagler Broadcasting.
But what people may not know is how big of a heart David truly has.
Talking about inflation and the rising costs of food, considering the impact it would have on the community when the advanced child tax credit payments expired because families had come to count on those as part of their monthly budget in early 2022, he suggested a Food-a-Thon.
Understanding the buying power of organizations like Grace Food Pantry, led by Pastor Charles Silano, he and the team at Flagler Broadcasting sprang into action to create the campaign. Within a short time the word was out, starting with the announcement of the community-wide effort by Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and the first pledge by then Palm Coast City Councilman Eddie Branquinho.
The Food-a-Thon ran for six hours straight with guest hosts live on-air welcoming donors from every sector of the community, ready to give what they could, to ensure families in Flagler wouldn’t have to go without. Raising $125,000 that day, the buying power translated into about half a million dollars’ worth of food through sources like First Harvest and other suppliers.
Bound and determined to hit that magic number, David has announced the 2023 Million Dollar Food-a-Thon for July 14, 2023.
But it’s not just about the money. It’s about knowing friends of his young granddaughter go to bed hungry. It’s about knowing that 3,500 or more of Flagler County’s own residents – from families with young children to the elderly, are struggling to put food on the table.
And because, he’s just a good guy who always looks for the silver lining, and a way to help others.
For that, he’s Flagler News Weekly’s 2022 Gentleman of the Year.
