In 2005, The MENTOR Network established the Ripple of Hope Awards to recognize The Network’s most outstanding employees, Mentors and independent contractors whose passion, energy and skill have created a positive impact in the lives of others. Whether they work in direct care, operations or supporting business roles, these outstanding employees and service providers create a “ripple of hope,” and a legacy of compassion and caring for others to follow.
The title of the award is inspired by the words of late U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy:
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
2019 Ripple of Hope Award Network Honorees
Liz Lauzon, Case Manager, NeuroRestorative Massachusetts
Lynn Leandro, Program Director, Massachusetts MENTOR
Diana Lozano, Program Director, MENTOR Adult Day Health, New Jersey
Lisa Martinez, Assistant Director of Nursing, NeuroRestorative California
Dr. Edwin Mikkelsen, Medical Director, The MENTOR Network
J.R. Moody, Program Director, REM Hennepin in Minnesota
Kenneth Oates, Mentor, Arizona MENTOR
Alice and Johnnie Ramos, Mentors, Pennsylvania MENTOR
Linda Renn, Direct Support Professional, REM Iowa
2019 Ripple of Hope External Award Honoree
The Honorable Robert A. DeLeo, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
