On Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 11:00 am in The Living Room at Faithful Central Bible Church, Moreno Valley resident Regina Napper celebrated an overflow of love, support and service at the fourth Regina Napper Honor’s Committee “Making a Difference” Awards Ceremony. This year’s ceremony was attended by over 400 individuals and organizations such as the Navy, Army, Airforce, Marines, National Guard, local police departments, local fire departments, missions, shelters, foster family agencies, group homes, businesses and community organizations such as Women of Color Breast Cancer Survivor’s Support Project, the Resident Advisory Councils of several Los Angeles public housing developments, the Department of Mental Health and many more. Mrs. Napper worked in collaboration with over 30 mayors of 30 different cities to provide certificates for deserving honorees for their service to others.
In a heartfelt speech Mrs. Napper praised first responders from the fire department for “going into the fire to allow us to come out safely” and the police department for “going into dangerous situations so that we can come out.” She was especially complimentary of California police departments for operating with integrity in the face of so much controversy and adversity associated with their jobs. Special recognition was also given to the Women of Color Breast Cancer Survivor’s Project who was awarded a cash donation from Mrs. Napper during the ceremony. The military was well represented at the ceremony and was praised for putting their lives on the line on a daily basis to protect our freedom and keep us safe. In another touching moment Mrs. Napper’s youngest brother Anthony Nash accepted certificates on behalf of their mother the late, great Mother Rayford who was a Pastor that served her community for over fifty years by providing both spiritual and physical food to anyone in need.
The Regina Napper Honor’s Committee was created by Mrs. Napper to recognize and celebrate people and organizations in the community who work tirelessly to help others without recognition. She decided to hold the ceremony in 2015 after receiving over 30 community service and humanitarian awards from several mayors, city council members, assembly members, senators and community service organizations for over 30 years of service. She realized that there were other people who had worked just as hard as she had without recognition or acknowledgement and the “Making a Difference” ceremony was created.
This year’s ceremony was marked by the great outpouring comradery and good will that was shared among the honorees. All the recipients expressed excitement and joy at being honored and many acknowledged that this was the first time that they had ever been celebrated for the work they did. They marveled that the ceremony was the vision of an everyday citizen whose only motivation was to provide recognition to the unsung heroes who assist us in our daily lives. Smiles were plentiful, and tears of joy pooled in the eyes of several recipients. The day was a beautiful celebration of the best humanity has to offer.
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