Did you know that over one-third of local residents spend time volunteering in our community? This makes Rochester one of the most active cities in America for volunteerism.
Each year, the ESL Jefferson Awards honors individuals who tirelessly give of their time to help others in our community.
Nominations are no longer being accepted.
Five finalists will be selected from among the nominees. The finalists will be contacted in late March.
Of those five, one will be chosen as the Greater Rochester regional honoree. This volunteer will be eligible for the national award and will attend the National Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. in June 2019.
Yana Khashper never intended to start a non-profit organization for addicts trying to recover...
Rick Keane lives by the motto, “Laughter is the Best Medicine,” because he knows being sick or needing medical treatments is not fun...
Dan Lill is just one person but he’s convinced 160 people to volunteer with him every week so that people can get around Rochester...
Mary Kate Brushafer is only 17 years old but she’s already created a non-profit organization and has served...
Sal Gerbino spent 31 years with the Gates Police Department before going into “semi-retirement” with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department...
Imagine arriving in Rochester with just the clothes on your back, no way to make money to feed your family, and sometimes no way to even communicate...
Two to three times a week, you can find Tom Fellion of Groveland waiting for an assignment...
Angel Alecia came to Rochester 30 years ago from Puerto Rico. He continues to dedicate almost every waking hour to young people in Rochester as a coach and a mentor...
All week we will be honoring this year’s ESL Jefferson Award winners. The award recognizes those who volunteer their time to make our community a better place.
All week we will be honoring this year’s ESL Jefferson Award winners. The award recognizes those who volunteer their time to make our community a better place.
All week we will be honoring this year’s ESL Jefferson Award winners. The award recognizes those who volunteer their time to make our community a better place. Today we take a look at a man who's helping hundreds of thousands of kids, nationwide...
We continue to honor this year's ESL Jefferson Award winners. The award recognizes those who volunteer their time to make our community a better place...
We continue to honor this year's ESL Jefferson Award winners. The award recognizes those who volunteer their time to make our community a better place. Today, we feature a retired man who has helped turn around a once troubled Rochester neighborhood...
We continue to honor this year's ESL Jefferson Award winners. The award recognizes those who volunteer their time to make our community a better place. Today we meet a third grader who's become an inspiration...
We're honoring another 2015 ESL Jefferson Award winner -- a woman who will no doubt inspire you. She's working to boost others and doing so after a personal tragedy...
James Caldwell (Chef James) is a retired chef and current volunteer at the Rochester Educational Opportunity Center in the Culinary Arts Program...
After 20 years of service, John Ninfo retired as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge in 2011. Since then he has been fortunate to be able to continue to follow his passions and serve the public...
For over 25 years, Dr. Louise Bingham Bennett has dedicated her life to serving the refugee community in Rochester, New York...
Patrick has been advocating for HIV/AIDS for more than 20 years. He was a key planner in an employee training program and benchmark corporate policy recognized by the White House HIV/Aids Policy team under former president, Bill Clinton...
At just nine years old, Jack founded Catherine’s Peace Team, a group of children and adults promoting peace and kindness...
