Tallahassee residents have been using the City's social media platforms to nominate outstanding community volunteers for special recognition. The first such recognition came the evening of Tuesday, March 20 at the Palmer Munroe Teen Center.
That's where Mayor Andrew Gillum unexpectedly stopped by to present the first Mayor's Medal to volunteer Judy Langston. Langston, whose day job is running TasteBudz Takeout and Catering, has been a volunteer with the Community Connection program for at-risk youth since it began several years ago.
"Because it works!" she exclaimed, still recovering from the surprise of the presentation. "It's restorative justice and it really restores peoples' humanity. These kids get listened to and heard and validated. They don't get this at school!"
The program has had great success in keeping kids who have minor scrapes with the law from graduating into the adult criminal justice system. Mayor Gillum said he'll present a total of 10 awards to outstanding community helpers before he's out of office.
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