Truett wins Spirit of Women award
Sacred Heart honored 140 women for service to community

Submitted Photo Sharlissa Truett (left) with Martha Perez and Mary Fleming, who all won awards at the recent Spirit of Women awards banquet.

A total of 140 area women were honored for their community service work Tuesday night during the Eighth Annual Spirit of Women Awards Gala at the Saenger Theatre in downtown Pensacola. The Gala is sponsored each year by Sacred Heart Women's Hospital.

Three of the 140 women were recognized with Spirit of Women Awards for making significant contributions toward improving the quality of life in their communities. The winners in each of the three award categories are:

Sharlissa Truett of Gulf Breeze - Youth Recipient

Martha Perez of Pensacola - Health Care Recipient

Mary Fleming of Pensacola - Community Recipient

A student at Gulf Breeze High School, Sharlissa Truett is active with many extracurricular organizations including Junior Beta Club, the Science Forensics Club, the Latin Club, Junior Statesmen of America and the girls' varsity weightlifting team.

She has frequently found time to give back to others by visiting nursing homes, assisting with environmental clean-ups at the beach, participating in Relay for Life and being a regular donor to the American Cancer Society and UNICEF.

In addition to these achievements, Truett serves as a caretaker and inspiration to her parents, both of whom have major health problems. She has maintained a steadfast, positive attitude while faced with many emotional challenges, personal sacrifices, and the physical demands of being a caretaker.

As the administrator of the Haven of Our Lady of Peace nursing home, Martha Perez has dedicated her life to serving the needs of the elderly. She began her journey into long-term care as a nursing home receptionist and worked her way up through the ranks, learning the ins and outs of every position necessary to make a great long-term care facility.

Beyond her role in ensuring outstanding medical care, she quietly ensures that the nursing home residents and staff have more than just the basic necessities. From Christmas baskets to school supplies to everything in between, she makes sure everyone has access to assistance while maintaining their self-respect and pride.

Perez never misses an opportunity to help others, from playing the role of Mrs. Claus at Christmas to deliver toys at Sacred Heart Children's Hospital, volunteering at the Alfred Washburn Center, donating her own PTO to serve as a Spanish interpreter, and acting as a preceptor to new nursing home administrators.

Since 1983, Mary Fleming has touched thousands of lives in Pensacola through her work with Habitat for Humanity. She has been instrumental in helping remove over 500 families from substandard and unaffordable housing situations, has served on the board of directors for 20 years, and is a past Habitat for Humanity Volunteer of the Year.

In addition to her work with Habitat, Fleming is an active volunteer with Samaritan Hands, has taught Sunday school at First Baptists Church for 22 years, and volunteers at Brentwood Elementary.

Truett, Perez, and Fleming also will vie for national Spirit of Women awards. If any of our local winners win an award on the national level, she will be flown to the national Spirit of Women Awards ceremony later this year.

In addition to three main awards, a Presidential Award is given annually to an individual or organization that has stood out in making a positive difference in Northwest Florida. This year the award was given to women in the military for their outstanding service to our community and to our country. The award was accepted by the Gala's guest speaker, Captain Lee Little, USN (ret.), on behalf of all of the women who serve in the armed forces.

Little spoke of "the quieter heroes" that were honored at the event and recalled the encouragement she had received early in her career from a mentor at Officer Candidate School.

The Spirit of Women Awards program is sponsored by Sacred Heart Women's Hospital, Northwest Florida's leading provider of specialized care for women. For a list of all of the nominees and more information on the top three winners, visit the Sacred Heart Health System Web site at www.sacredheart. org.