Youth Health Awards 2024
On May 8, 2024, 200 community leaders, organizations, and families came together to celebrate community efforts to promote and empower the health of our youth, at the Youth Health Awards 2024, presented by Neal Communities! Manatee Technical College were once again our gracious hosts for the night. Catering was provided by the amazing culinary program at Southeast High School.
We were thrilled to host such an amazing evening to recognize all the AMAZING work that goes on in our community to support our incredible young people.
Joining us were the individuals and organizations who do so much to protect youth health and empower them to make healthier choices. We honored their significant contributions to youth health outcomes, particular since the start of the pandemic.
Attendees got a chance to meet our new team of fully trained Teen Health Educators and hear about all they have achieved. We also said thank you to our departing high school seniors, for all their hard work while serving as a Teen Health Educator. Thanks to the generosity of Neal Communities, we were able to present some of our graduating seniors with college scholarships totaling $12,000!
Check out the event recording and read on for more information on this year’s winners, as well as photos from the event.
If you would like to be the first to know about when this event will take place in 2025 join our mailing list by filling out the form at the bottom of this webpage, or click here
Thank you to our incredible sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor
Community Partner
Program sponsor
AV sponsor
Announcing the winners!
Learn more below about our 2024 award winners! Check out the video recording above to hear more about them during the event itself.
Business of the Year – Legler, Murphy & Battaglia, LLP
Legler, Murphy and Battaglia, LLP has a rich tradition of providing excellent legal services to injured individuals throughout our community. They have been proudly serving the injured in Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Venice, and the surrounding areas for over 35 years.
This organization has invested in the health and well-being of youth for well over a decade and was an inaugural partner in launching the Teen Health Educator program ten years ago. The partners in this firm are local residents and care deeply about the safety and well-being of our children and residents.
Youth Empowerment Award (Organization) – Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center
Gulfcoast South AHEC’s mission is to provide health education that improves the well-being of Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Focused on promoting community health through partnerships & education, they are an integral part of the local health care landscape through their ACCESS, tobacco cessation and REACH career programs.
GCSAHEC provides high-quality training and education on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, or ENDS, commonly known as vapes. Their work highlights both the dangers of nicotine and vape products as well as the dangerous marketing tactics used by the Big Tobacco companies to under-aged users.
Youth Empowerment Award (Individual) – Jennifer Venuto, Hanley Foundation
Jen Venuto provides high-quality, fun and engaging education and training on a variety of health topics. Alongside her team from the Hanley Foundation, this individual excellently represents her organization’s mission to give hope to individuals, families and communities affected by substance use disorders. Jen is a collaborative part of the health care system in our community.
The Teen Health Educators always look forward to Jen and her team leading the Alcohol Literacy Challenge session, focused on the physical and social dangers of alcohol.
