Congratulations to our own Jonnie Mae Perry, past president and immediate past director of development for our AAUW branch, who has received the 2022 Spirit of Community Award from the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. The Spirit of Community Awards recognizes meritorious women and men who have improved the lives of women of Florida and have served as positive role models for women and girls in their community. Jonnie is CEO of the Gifford Historical Museum and Cultural Center. Last year, she was instrumental in securing a $493,000 grant from the Florida Department of State’s Florida African American Cultural and Historic grant program to begin expanding the Center beyond the current museum housed in Gifford’s Historic Macedonia Church. A graduate of Vero Beach High School, Jonnie earned a degree in Business/Office Administration from Morris Brown College. During her career, she worked for the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Airborne Express Corp., Professional Creative Consultants, and J. Brown & Associates. Since returning to Indian River County in 2011, she has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Indian River County Historical Society, The Laura Riding Jackson Foundation, Samuel and Audrey Hunter Memorial Foundation, and TCCH-Gifford Health Center Advisory Committee. She also has served as AAUW-Florida’s state chair for Diversity and Inclusion for the past three years, hosting monthly Zoom Dialogues on diversity topics. The Florida Commission on the Status of Women is a nonpartisan board, statutorily created in 1991, The Commission’s mandate is to study and make recommendations to the Governor, Cabinet, and Legislature on issues affecting women.