"No one deserves it more than them" was a frequent refrain in video testimonies recorded by the many friends, co-workers and family members of this year's four Heart of Hampton winners.
The Hampton Alliance for Educational Excellence held the event Feb. 22 at Lucky Sign Spirits Distillery to honor excellence in the Hampton community.
Before showing the HAEE-produced video, Hannalore Merritt, the group's president, told the guests how HAEE decided to revive the event once hosted by Hampton Magazine.
"The idea for tonight was actually born from a discussion among the HAEE board last year," she said. "We wanted to create an event that really celebrated our community here."
This year, the awards went to:
* Chris Andrews for his dedication to the Hampton Soccer Club, 20 years; Hampton Township Volunteer Fire Department, 17 years; HAEE, four years; and Hampton Township School District's Special Education Advisory Board.
* Chad Himmler for his 21 years as the band director at Hampton High School.
* Christine Raimondi for her roles as an administration office assistant for the Hampton Township School District; learning support paraeducator, 20-plus years; Interscholastic Unified Bocce coach for the Special Olympics; Girl Scout troop leader, 14 years; HAEE board member, four years; and instructor at Flour Power Cooking Studio.
* Tom Baker for his roles as the CEO of Variety - The Children's Charity of Pittsburgh and founder of Get Involved! Inc., 17 years; and dedication to North Hills Community Outreach, 15 years; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh, 23 years; and Hampton Rotary, 16 years.
When Hampton's superintendent, Dr. Michael Loughead, heard HAEE was planning the event, he was "thrilled."
"There are so many folks in this community that give their whole life, their passion, for our students and for families, and they do it and they want no recognition," Loughead told the guests shortly before the ceremony. "In fact, I'm sure they're embarrassed tonight to be recognized, but it's about time to honor the folks that really care and love Hampton for what it is."
The awardees, indeed, expressed humility for being recognized and were quick to credit the organizations and people they work with.
"I think there's so many others more worthy than I am, but it's a wonderful honor," Raimondi said. "It's a wonderful township and a community with great people."
"I'm very proud of the efforts collectively of the Hampton Rotary Club," Baker said. "It's an honor to be here tonight to accept this award, really, on behalf of our club and the amazing efforts of the group."
Himmler was "extremely grateful" to HAEE for taking the time and effort to recognize the four awardees.
"Me being here is really a reflection of all the students, band, parents and amazing colleagues that I've had the pleasure of working with for so many years," Himmler said.
Andrews said it's "easy to work and volunteer when you're working with great people."
"I made so many great friends working in these various organizations," he said.
In between enjoying Sprezzatura's catering and chatting, guests purchased raffle tickets for multiple bundles of prizes and heard performances by some of the district's student musicians, including a violin trio with Lily Haberman, Nahvy Baek and Zachary Jiang; guitar soloist Eli Haberman; violin soloist Mikayla Berke; and the Tim-erican brass quintet featuring Tim Madden, James Parker, Ryan Awais, Paul Dakin and Brady Fanuele.
"Sometimes I think about the size of Hampton, and I'm actually amazed at how much talent you fit into 16 square miles," Merritt said of the student performers.
Since the event's inception in 1996, the Heart of Hampton Awards has been an opportunity to honor Hampton community members just like Raimondi, Andrews, Baker and Himmler, Merritt said.
"Those who go above and beyond in their classrooms, on the fields, in the community and lots of times behind the scenes, never asking or seeking recognition," Merritt said. "These are the people who inspire us. They support our students, and they make Hampton a very special place."
Loughead looked back on old documents -- school board notes from 1926 and PTO notes from the 1950s -- to learn more about past Hampton excellence to prepare for this year's event. What he learned is that this year's awardees "stand on the shoulders of generations of folks who have committed to this community."
"The kind of dedication and passion about this community as a place to live, to raise your family, to enjoy the parks and to have a passion for quality education, it's part of everything that means Hampton," Loughead said. "When there's ever a fire, a student with cancer, a family that's down on their luck, this community comes together, and it's folks like you awardees tonight that do it because it's in their heart and it's who they are."