7 Who Care

HONOREES RECOGNIZED AT AWARDS LUNCHEON ON MONDAY, JULY 14TH AND WILL BE PROFILED IN 7-PART SERIES AIRING ON ABC 7 NEWS AT 5:30PM JULY 14-18TH & JULY 21ST & 22ND

Sarasota, Fla.—In April and early May, ABC 7 called for nominations for year three of “7 Who Care,” the station’s public service program to recognize outstanding Suncoast volunteers.  ABC 7 received heart-warming submissions for many worthy citizens who work selflessly to better our community and is proud to announce and showcase this year’s honorees. Click any name below or scroll further down the page to learn more about these extraordinary individuals:

Frank Gurney of Venice

Alice Faye Jones of Sarasota

Kellee Keller of Nokomis

Mark Morin of Siesta Key

Naba Rahman of Osprey

Fernando Rivera of Bradenton

Richard Wellenberger of Bradenton

In making the announcement, Jeff Benninghoff, Vice President/Broadcast, Calkins Media & General Manager, ABC 7, said, “Our seven honorees personify the spirit of volunteerism and have made invaluable contributions to the Suncoast community, each in his or her own extraordinary way. It is our privilege to shine a spotlight on these special individuals and champion their wonderful work.” Benninghoff added, “We would also like to express our gratitude and appreciation to everyone who took the time and effort to tell us about some of the unsung heroes in our community.”

ABC 7 celebrated the 7 Who Care winners at an awards luncheon at Michael’s On East on Monday, July 14th. In addition, 7 Who Care honorees will be profiled on ABC 7 News at 5:30PM Monday, July 14th – Friday, 18th and Monday, July 21st - Tuesday, 22nd. These profiles will also be featured in the 7 Who Care section of MySuncoast.com. In addition, ABC 7 will have a photo gallery from today’s awards luncheon on its website and will be posting pictures on its Facebook page. Viewers/visitors are invited to post, and tweet, congratulations for this year’s 7 Honorees.

ABC 7’s sponsor for 7 Who Care is Suncoast Blood Bank. Benninghoff noted, “Suncoast Blood Bank is a wonderful organization that does critical, life-saving work for our community, and we are very proud to have them be a part of 7 Who Care.”

The United Way of Sarasota, South Sarasota and Manatee Counties have generously lent their resources and expertise on volunteerism to 7 Who Care since the inception of the program. Of their involvement, Benninghoff said, “The United Way has been instrumental to the success of 7 Who Care, and we would like to acknowledge them for their outstanding support.”

ABC 7 (WWSB-TV) is the ABC affiliate serving Florida’s Suncoast and is owned by Southern Broadcast Corporation of Sarasota, a subsidiary of Calkins Media, Inc.