Building community is easier said than done. Dayton has been very fortunate to have a wealth of neighborhood and community leaders who have spent their lives organizing and advocating for their respective communities. Mattie Davis and Joe Kanak were two such leaders who made Dayton a better place to work and raise children.

Mattie Davis had a major role in the organization of the Edgemont Neighborhood Coalition. In 1978, she invited the University of Dayton to join in an effort that began the award-winning Edgemont Solar Garden. Her example of hard work and dedication continues to inspire volunteers throughout the community.

Joe Kanak was an inspiration to his community of Old North Dayton, where he was born and raised. For over twenty years, Joe was involved in virtually every initiative sponsored by the Northeast Priority Board and the Old North Dayton Development Corporation.

Each year, the University of Dayton gives the Mattie Davis and Joe Kanak Community Builders Award. It honors a person in the Dayton community who exemplifies vision and compassion toward neighborhood or community. The tenth annual award will be presented at the CityLinks conference on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.

Past recipients of the award:

Sr. Rose Wildenhaus & Dick McBride, 2007
Juan Urbieta & Carmen Guerrero-Urbieta, 2006
Annie Bonaparte, 2005
Luong Vo, 2004
Joan Means, 2003
Diana Watkins, 2002
Hazetta Sargent, 2001
Joseph Kanak, 2000
Ann Cummings, 1999