The NEN Awards
The Neighborhood Empowerment Network (NEN) is committed to celebrating the people and initiatives that make a difference in the lives of those who live in our neighborhoods. Starting in 2008, the NEN began hosting the NEN Awards. This event is produced in partnership with the City’s Community Challenge Grant Program. The Award’s program features the announcement of the recipients for the Grants for the coming year as well as a series of awards that are designed to highlight the important work that happens in our neighborhoods every day.
The 2008 NEN Awards featuring the 2009 Community Challenge Grants
On November 13th, 2008 hundreds of San Franciscans came together in the North Light Court of City Hall and spent an entire evening celebrating what’s right with our City at the 2008 NEN Awards featuring the 2009 Community Challenge Grants. The event was a huge success, with people and organizations from all over San Francisco winning awards for their hard work (for photos, please visit our NEN Photo Album)
The NEN Award winners included
- Best Merchant Association
- Merchants of Upper Market and Castro
- Best Community Benefits District
- Noe Valley CBD
- Best Neighborhood Newsletter
- North Panhandle News
- Best Community Celebration
- Sunset Community Festival
- Comeback Neighborhood of the Year
- Lower 24th Street
- Best Community Building Project
- Crocker Amazon Playground Mosaic Tile Project
- Best Community Building Project
- Goettingen Steps Project
- NEN Lifetime Achievement Award Winner – Isabel Wade
- Isabel Wade for her work in creating organizations such as the Friends of the Urban Forest and the Neighborhood Parks Council that have empowered thousands of people to make their communities greener and healthier places to live and raise families.
- NEN Hall of Fame Inductee – Karl Paige
- Karl Paige for his work in creating the legendary Quesada Gardens in the Bayview neighborhood which transformed a blighted street into a magical place to live and has become the anchor for the entire community.
- NEN Hall of Fame Inductee – Anthony Sacco
- Anthony Sacco for his lifetime of service to the City as a firefighter and to his neighborhood, the Excelsior and District 11 and his beloved McLaren Park.
- NEN Hall of Fame Inductee – Carlos Aceituno
- Carlos Aceituno who founded and directed the Fogo Na Roupa Grupo Carnavalesco Cultural, a Carnaval group and performance company as well as the Omulu Capoeira's Kintuari Chapter inspiring people of all walks of life and ages through dance, music and folklore of the Afro-Brazilian