Our annual Champions of Diversity celebration brought together people from every corner of our community — from donors to families we serve, elected officials to community activists. It was a palpable reminder that we are all in this together and that we need all hands on deck.

We were delighted to celebrate three local, inspirational leaders:

Pam Hunter, New York State Assemblymember

Frank M. Ridzi, Vice President of Community Investment at the CNY Community Foundation

Syeisha Byrd, Syracuse Commissioner of Parks, Recreation, and Youth Programs

Given the nature of our honorees, the event could just as well have been titled In the Trenches with Sleeves Rolled Up. Each of them exemplifies a leadership style that puts service first and continually prioritizes deep, authentic work in the community, often at the ground level. Each of them is uniquely in tune with the needs, the pains, and the ideas of our community. It’s through these types of leaders that we rise together.

Our Executive Director, Carolyn D. Brown summed up the evening perfectly in paraphrasing Pope Leo XIV’s first homily, insisting that we stay awake and attuned to those around us — especially in a cultural moment when it’s more popular to turn inward. We all left that night with a renewed sense of purpose and eager to do the good, hard, necessary work.