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Date: 4/19/2021
SOUTHAMPTON – Nominations are officially open for the Southampton American Legion Post 168 Citizen of the Year award in 2021.
The organization, which has been presenting this award for decades, looks to recognize someone within Southampton who has gone above and beyond in the community to help residents and/or other facets of society.
“It’s sort of a recognition that people have recognized what you’ve done,” said Mark Nichols, the commander of Southampton American Legion Post 168. “Someone will write a letter pitching why they felt this person deserved the award as far as what they’ve done to help the town of Southampton.”
According to Nichols, no one can nominate themselves; people have to be nominated based on the recommendation from someone else. The nominee must be a resident of Southampton and over the age of 18. If the nominee is currently a town employee, then the reason for nomination cannot be job related. Southampton American Legion members are not eligible for nomination, either.
People who have won the award in the past have volunteered their time in Southampton, whether it be volunteering for the food pantry at the church or having continuous involvement with the school system, among other things.
“A lot of times, it isn’t because someone did just one thing,” said Nichols. “It’s usually someone that’s really done something all year round, or was involved in many different activities in the town, as far as volunteering their time.”
Nichols added that he believes people do not volunteer time simply because they want to get recognized, but rather to make some kind of difference within the community. “It’s the human thing to do to give back,” said Nichols. “And that’s what people do.”
To nominate an individual for the Citizen of the Year award, Southampton American Legion 168 asks that residents complete the application, and include a brief letter of nomination, along with a list of groups or organizations the nominee has been involved with and why they should be considered. Nominations must be mailed to American Legion Post 168; Attention: Mark Nichols, PO Box 108, Southampton, MA 01073 by May 1.
After all of the nominations are submitted, the Legion reads and reviews them, and then vote on who the winner should be. “We used to do it at the Memorial Day Parade,” said Nichols, with regard to when they chose a winner. “Right now, I have not gotten any definite information that there will be a parade.”
Based on the state guidelines for COVID-19, Nichols thinks that there most likely will not be a parade this year, which means the winner could be unveiled at Southampton Day on Aug. 14.
“We contact the nominated people, and we’ve been good in the past of making sure that the person won will be there to accept the award,” said Nichols, who added that the winner stays anonymous until the day the award is actually handed out. “I think it’s important to recognize people that have given their time and effort back to the community to actually make the town and community better for everyone.”
Those who want to nominate someone in Southampton for the Citizen Award can do so by using the application template at https://www.facebook.com/easthamptonmedia/photos/1886201018198626.