News Flash

The City Council and the Human Relations Commission honored two city residents this week as the 2023 recipients of the Martin Luther King Jr. Young Dreamers Award.

The Young Dreamers Award recognizes two emerging or proven young adult city residents between the ages of 18 and 40 who have made a tangible difference in the lives of those who otherwise might have been overlooked, ignored or disadvantaged. 

Honored this year are Nareny Martinez, who works with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to help families of children in the ESL program, and Jose Saucedo, a community volunteer with the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Foundation.

Martinez was honored for her many efforts to provide personalized help, information and assistance to families in the school system. Her nominator noted that she goes above and beyond her assigned work duties. She provides on-call interpretation in the schools and works to ensure that students entering the local school system have a positive experience.

Saucedo, a 2022 graduate of Winston-Salem State University, was honored for his efforts in organizing and advocacy, both in the community and while he was on campus. Through Power Up NC, an environmental organization, he works to educate and organize low-income and minority communities about environmental issues that affect them. 

The Human Relations Commission established the Young Dreamers Award in 2009 to encourage young adults to participate in philanthropic, altruistic community involvement that is in the spirit of how Martin Luther King Jr. lived and encouraged others to live.