Toyota of Stuart has stepped up this year to help CHARACTER COUNTS! sustain the annual Joe Kordick Youth Character Awards.

With an $8,000 contribution, Toyota of Stuart has become major sponsor of the program.

The awards will be presented at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Wolf High-Technology Center on the Chastain Campus of IRCC, 2400 Salerno Road, Stuart.

The awards are named in honor of the late Joe Kordick, founding chairman and driving force of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Martin County. The awards go to eighth- and 12th-grade students who have demonstrated uncompromising integrity, community service and the six pillars of character — Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Respect, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. 

In 2001, Mr. Kordick left a legacy to fund the Youth Character Awards with $10,000 each year for 10 years. With the growth of Martin County and the addition of more schools, new sponsors were needed to keep the prizes at the same levels as in past years. 

Other sponsors include Kramer, Sopko & Levenstein, PA and Proctor, Crook & Crowder Inc.

This year, eighth-grade recipients will each receive a $1,000 savings bond and high school winners will each receive a $2,000 check.

The nomination process for the awards was opened to the community-at-large this year. Previously, nominations were limited to faculty and staff from the schools.

Out of more than 60 nominations, 15 outstanding students were selected as Youth Character Award recipients: 

Clark Advanced Learning Center – Amanda Brown
Challenger School – Timothy Jones
Jensen Beach High School – Michael Alexander, Danielle Blakeslee
Martin County High School – Lauren Cavette
South Fork High School – Andrea Ramos
Dr. David L. Anderson Middle School – Karely Aguilar, Derrick Edwards II
Hidden Oaks Middle School – Heather Bateman, Jonathan Tobias
Indiantown Middle School – Jessica Gutierrez, Raquel Molina
Murray Middle School – Lexi Gioseffi, Michael Li
Stuart Middle School – Lisa Bresson, Emily Holland

Pictured above: Toyota of Stuart owner John Pierson (center) receives thanks for his sponsorship from Holly Laiben, director of CHARACTER COUNTS! in Martin County, and Ronnie Houck, chairman of the CHARACTER COUNTS! in Martin County advisory board.