Better Business Bureau: The Better Business Bureau serving Southern Arizona announced the recipients of its BBB Torch Awards for ethics and the BBB Spark Award for Entrepreneurship. An independent panel of business and community leaders selected the recipients.
Torch Award honorees embody character, culture, customers and community.
2023 BBB Torch Awards for ethics winners:
Business ethics (one to 10 employees): Felicia’s Best! Personal Assisting
Business ethics (11 to 29 employees): Ronnie’s Handyman & Home Service
Business ethics (30 or more employees): Snell & Wilmer
Nonprofit ethics (below $1.5 in revenue): Reach for the Stars
Nonprofit ethics (above $1.5 in revenue): Habitat for Humanity
BBB’s Spark Award recognizes Southern Arizona entrepreneurial leaders who demonstrate a high character level and are committed to giving back to their community. This year’s winner was Katrina Calderon of Regal Fierce Media.
BBB also honored 11 finalists for their commitment to ethical practices:
A-Authentic Garage Door Service
Fox Roofing LLC
Done Rite Services
Dynamic Comfort AC
Express Flooring
Tucson Appliance Company
Ben’s Bells
Southern Arizona Book Heroes
Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona
Literacy Connects
Perfection AZ Handyman
A new addition this year was BBB’s student ethics video contest. Three high school students were recognized. Vanessa Cruz from Pima Partnership High School was awarded first place and $2,000. Adriana Montenegro of Marana High School was awarded the second-place prize of $1,000. Leilani Ortiz from Pima Partnership High School was awarded third place, with a $500 prize.
Unidas: Unidas, a youth leadership program, has awarded a $5,000 grant to El Rio Health Center’s Reproductive Health Access Project, which empowers teens to take control of their sexual and reproductive health with an emphasis on queer-affirming and comprehensive sex education.
Unidas is a longstanding program of the Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona, teaching leadership, philanthropy and social justice issues through grantmaking. Participating teens grant $5,000 each semester to a nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of life for women and girls of all identities in Arizona.
The El Rio program will use the grant, funded by Buffalo Exchange, to provide comprehensive and inclusive peer-led sex education and establish partnerships with Tucson organizations serving marginalized youth, a news release said.
'Newsweek' reports that the COVID pandemic took a clear toll on the collective mental health of people living in the United States.
