New Sun Rising announces 2025 Vibrancy Award Winners

Posted on by Alyse Horn

Community leaders & NSR’s 20th Anniversary to be celebrated on December 5

Pittsburgh, PA — The New Sun Rising 20th Anniversary Vibrancy Awards will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, December 5 at Kingfly Spirits with remarks by County Executive Sara Innamorato.

The Vibrancy Awards recognize individuals, projects, and organizations that exemplify what it means to build resilient and equitable communities. This year, New Sun Rising (NSR) will be awarding three alumni from the Nonprofit Resilience Program (NRP) in the categories of Culture, Sustainability, and Opportunity, including: Aquene Watkins-Wise (Culture) of Royally Fit, Raynise and TaRay Kelly (Sustainability) of Soil Sisters Plant Nursery, and Jasimine Cooper (Opportunity) of Landforce. Each awardee will receive a cash award.

“The Vibrancy Awards take on special significance in New Sun Rising’s 20th year,” said Justin Romano, Board Chair for NSR. “The throughline of the last two decades has been collaboration with leaders like Aquene, Raynise, TaRay, and Jasimine who are a driving force behind positive change in their communities.”

A silent auction is open for bidding through December 7 with proceeds supporting The Wellness Fund, which will provide mini-grants to NRP alumni and fiscally sponsored projects to implement self-care, well-being, or resilience programming. 

“It’s important to recognize the hard work and dedication of the individuals and organizations serving our community, and too often their efforts go unnoticed,” said Jamie Johnson, Director of Programs at NSR. “Prioritizing self-care and well-being is an ongoing process, yet funding for this vital work is frequently limited. We hope to help those we serve by providing access to funds dedicated to these programs, and we encourage others to do the same.”

New Oreleans-inspired fare, catered by Bouji Bites, will be served as a nod to NSR’s history. NSR’s inaugural fundraiser in 2005, the Cultural Gumbo, was created to support flood-impacted communities in Millvale and New Orleans following Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina. Music by DJ NiX P. General admission tickets are $30 and include two drinks.

For two decades, NSR has supported 500+ nonprofits, social enterprises, and funders to invest $20+ million in projects that develop Vibrant Communities across 75 neighborhoods in the Greater Pittsburgh region.

About New Sun Rising: New Sun Rising envisions a future where all communities are vibrant places of culture, sustainability, and opportunity. NSR supports community leaders with the skills, funding, connections, and data to overcome the challenges of our time. 

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