Public service is often a thankless job. Yet, thousands of public servants across the nation serve as the backbone to government and municipality organizations, including more than 20,000 City of Houston employees.
To honor their service, the City of Houston conducted annual events during Public Service Recognition week, a national celebration that aims to recognize and teach the community about public service careers each year the first week in May.
This year’s PSRW activities returned to in-person events after two years of holding virtual events due to COVID, giving the week-long celebration an added touch of excitement for participants.
Annual events included the Bravo Awards, the poster and essay contests, the inaugural PSRW Basketball Tournament, and the Mayor’s Service Awards. Here’s a wrap-up of the events:
Bravo Awards
Mayor Turner and City Council recognized six city employees for their volunteerism in the community and excellent service on the job. From helping rescue animals to ensuring those recently incarcerated find new paths, these six employees combined have spent more than 20 years in service to others outside of their roles for the city. Bravo to this year’s winners!
Read about the 2022 winners: https://cohemployeenews.com/events-activities/bravo-awards/award-winners
Bravo Photo Gallery: https://bit.ly/2022BravoAwardsPhotoGallery
Essay Contest
Houston area high school seniors were invited to write an essay about how they would strengthen the City of Houston if they were a city employee. Out of more than 100 essays submitted, five earned scholarships totaling $5,000. Essay winners were recognized at a ceremony held at the Legacy Room.
Read the 2022 winning essays: https://cohemployeenews.com/essay-contest/essay-winners
Essay Photo Gallery: https://bit.ly/2022EssayContestPhotoGallery
Poster Contest
Kids ages 5 to 18 whose parent or relative works for the city were invited to draw themselves as a city employee. Prize packages were awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each age group. Winners attended a ceremony and were presented with their framed artwork and prize packages including gift certificates, art supplies, Astros game tickets and more.
See the 2022 winning posters: https://cohemployeenews.com/poster-contest/psrw-poster-winners
Poster Contest Photo Gallery: https://bit.ly/2022PosterContestPhotoGallery
Basketball Tournament
Seven city departments split amongst 18 teams went head-to-head for bragging rights at this year’s inaugural basketball tournament held at the Fonde Recreation Center earlier this month. The Houston Parks and Recreation Department’s Dream Team took home the tournament trophy, beating the Houston Public Works’ Shotz Callers 63 - 43 in a final championship game.
See tournament photos and a list of teams: https://bit.ly/2022BasketballTournamentPhotos
The Mayor’s Service Awards
The Mayor’s Service Awards honors employees with more than 30 years of service. This year, recipients celebrated with a luncheon held at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Lisa Hernandez, co-anchor for KPRC Channel 2 News, served as the master of ceremonies, Melissa Saldivar-Hamilton with HPD sang the National Anthem, and the HPD Honor Guard presented the flags. Mayor Turner offered words of thanks and praise to more than 300 honorees recognized at the luncheon.
See a list of current MSA recipients: https://cohemployeenews.com/events-activities/mayor-s-service-awards/current-msa-recipients
