One of the Golden Shovel awardees in @MontgomeryCoMD @NancyFloreen makes the awards. Remember winter? pic.twitter.com/UT0Dwor5iA
— Kate Ryan (@KateRyanWTOP) April 21, 2015Good Samaritans, snow angels & Golden Shovels. Cold weather compassion recalled today. @NancyFloreen does the honors pic.twitter.com/ARdPzytwhi
— Kate Ryan (@KateRyanWTOP) April 21, 2015Just a few of the 20 individuals and groups honored with the #GoldenShovel w @NancyFloreen today. pic.twitter.com/m1060ClS8X
— Kate Ryan (@KateRyanWTOP) April 21, 2015
WASHINGTON — They dusted off their snowblowers, shouldered shovels and even brought out the ice scrapers to help neighbors clear slippery sidewalks and dig out driveways.
They are the 20 individuals and groups given the Montgomery County Golden Shovel Awards. Montgomery County Council member Nancy Floreen recognized the good Samaritans and snow angels in a special ceremony where the recipients were given certificates and golden shovel lapel pins.
Jeff Clare of Rockville was cited by his neighbors as “The good Samaritan of Rockville” not just because he helps out when the snow flies, but also because he took action when a neighbor needed it most.
Clare explains he decided to help his neighbor out by clearing his walkways and as the two were talking, “and all of the sudden the conversation kind of stopped and I looked up and saw his knees buckle and he went to the ground.”
Clare rushed to his neighbor’s home, told the man’s wife, made sure 911 was called and ran back outside to his stricken neighbor.
“I held his hand and comforted him until emergency services came,” Clare says.
And today, Clare says he’s happy to report, his neighbor is “doing just fine.”
Among those doing neighborly deeds during the worst winter weather is Bruce Bishop of Bethesda and his 7-year-old son, Kiran Chaudhry-Bishop. Floreen explained the pair had been good neighbors in years past, but this winter they were especially helpful.
“They expanded their snow clearing this year to include the sidewalks of six houses and were out as late as 10 p.m. to finish the job,” Floreen said.
Bishop explained he’s from Vermont originally.
“This is the way I grew up. We just do what we do, and this is what you do in a snowstorm,” he said.
Bishop said he wanted his Maryland-raised son to follow that tradition, and Kiran has taken the example and run with it.
“He does our driveway now and our two senior citizen neighbors,” Bishop says. “That frees me up to go have fun with the snow blower on the rest of the block.”
Kiran says he enjoys the work.
“And I don’t do it for the hot chocolate or the apples or whatever. I just do it for fun.”
Another group that got the glory of the Golden Shovel Awards after giving of themselves: the kids involved in Takoma Park Middle School’s “Difference Makers” organization. The kids weren’t at Tuesday’s ceremony — it’s a school day after all. They were recognized for heading out on snow days to tackle the driveways and walkways of neighbors unable to take on the task themselves.
Below is the full list of the winners:
- Bruce Bishop of Bethesda
- David and Jim Carter of Rockville
- Carey (Gene) Cheek Sr. of Rockville
- Jeff Clare of Rockville
- “The Difference Makers” of Takoma Park, a group of Takoma Park Middle School students
- Mike Glasby of Silver Spring
- James Gutmann of Montgomery Village
- Chris Hersman of Chevy Chase
- Cheryl Leanza of Chevy Chase
- Bill McDowell of Silver Spring
- Michael Marshall of Gaithersburg
- John Mayhew, Philip Stack, Ron Kessler and Michael O’Neil of Olney
- Shannon Shaffer of Kensington
- Mark Springuel of Glen Echo
- Jeanette Steele of Germantown
- Tim Tehan of Bethesda
- Kurt Zimmerman of Bethesda
Watch a video to meet some of the kids who helped out this past winter:
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
