Many gathered for an evening to honor some of the biggest hearts in Houston and across the country at the 6th Annual Houston Humanitarian Awards. The awards gala was held at the beautiful Royal Sonesta Houston with an abundance of safety precautions in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The invitation-only, black-tie awards ceremony was presented by Houston Random Acts of Kindness Day, The LemonTree Foundation, On Site Counseling, and long-time presenting sponsor Royal Sonesta Houston.

The ceremony honored 10 Houstonians that exemplify kindness and make Houston a better place to live and five recipients of awards were recognized for special achievements and meaningful contributions to societal issues and people in need, including a special presentation to NBA Hall of Famer and TV analyst Shaquille O’Neal, as the recipient of the organization’s first ever National Humanitarian Award! The 2020 Houston Humanitarian Honorees included:

• Tim Miller, Founder and Director of EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery.

• Harry Smith, McDonald’s owner, philanthropist, and Founder of the Smith Foundation.

• Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee, 18th Congressional District of Texas, United States House of Representatives.

• Angelee and George Rhyne, Mrs. Rhyne founded the DLW Scholarship & Charitable Foundation, Mr. Rhyne is a mentor, 36-year law enforcement veteran and Administrator of the Texas Anti-Gang Center – Houston.

• Taseer Badar- Chairman and CEO, ZT Corporate and Founder of The AltusFoundation.

• Ms. Twiler Portis, Founder, EW Portis Foundation.

• Mr. Jim McIngvale, Philanthropist and Owner of Gallery Furniture.

• Dr. Joseph Gathe Jr., Veteran Infectious Disease Specialist, Founder of the CureCOVID Consortium.

• Lynn and Nakia Price, Philanthropists and Owners of the Turkey Leg Hut.

• Jerri Duddlesten-Moore, Award-winning Independent Film Producer, Designer, and philanthropist.

• Sabrina Greenlee, Recipient of The Florene Ivory Dennis Heroic Heart Humanitarian Award.

• Larry Tripplett, Recipient of The Carroll Oliver Lifetime Achievement Humanitarian Award.

• Michael Pearce, Recipient of The Michael Dean Meyers Spirit of Life Humanitarian Award.

• Chris Sheperd, Recipient of The Owen Galey Humanitarian Award.

• Shaquille O’Neal, Recipient of The National Humanitarian Award.

The 6th Annual Houston Humanitarian Awards reception was emceed by KRIV-TV FOX 26 personality Isiah Carey and philanthropist and author Theresa Roemer and featured Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner as the distinguished keynote speaker.

The lavish awards reception was limited in the number of invitation-only guests to comply with the 50% capacity regulatory guidelines for indoor events amid the pandemic. For the safety of all in attendance, proper social distancing and masks were required at all times. Temperature checks will be conducted at the door and guests with temperatures of 99.4 degrees Fahrenheit and above were not admitted. The team at Royal Sonesta Houston was committed to doing their very best to help everyone Stay Safe with Sonesta.

Established in 2014 by local Humanitarians Treveia and David Dennis, the Annual Houston Humanitarian Awards typically coincide with Houston Random Acts of Kindness Day, held annually on July 25. Due to the pandemic, the awards ceremony was rescheduled from July 24, 2020 to September 25, 2020.