Many of us have waited a long time for this moment. I have the honor tonight of presenting the Unity in Diversity award to a person who has richly deserved it for many years, to a person whose commitment to the ideals of freedom, equality, justice and understanding has been deep and steady and powerful. Many of us in Toward Community and in the wider Fox Cities community have wanted to give the Unity in Diversity award to this individual for years. However, we have been perennially unable to pull it off because this individual served as Chair of Toward Community and was therefore always instrumental in the selection of the award's recipient. But this year Scott Peeples stepped down as Chair and finally missed a meeting (due to knee surgery), So tonight we seize the opportunity at last to present him with the Unity in Diversity award.

Toward Community started as a dream shared by a handful of people. The dream was simple: to start an organization in the Fox Cities that brings together people from different cultures and backgrounds, celebrating these differences and the underlying unity that ties all people together. The dream was simple, but the work was hard. And it was slow going at first. After an initial splash of attention, our meetings typically drew no more than two or three people. And the kind of diversity we wanted to celebrate was seldom present at our meetings. It seemed hopeless to me and I pulled back from leadership. Herb Perkins, another founder, moved away. But his passion ever fired by the dream and his determination completely undaunted by our slow start, Scott Peeples kept on working. He built Toward Community the only way it could be built-by quietly building bridges, one person at a time. Through his dedication and determination, he built bridges to diverse people and organizations-Hmong and African American, Native American and Hispanic and Indian, people with disabilities, gays and lesbians, people of all backgrounds young and old. Bringing people together: this is Scott's wondrous gift.
In the past couple years, Toward Community has blossomed. More than a hundred members reflect the true diversity of the Fox Cities; our meetings are well attended and energizing; 500 people and more routinely come to our events; the media pays attention to our efforts; and, most importantly, the work we are doing is making a difference. Many people have contributed mightily to this blossoming of Toward Community, but I think it can be said of only one person that the organization and the dream it embodies would be long dead without his efforts. That person is Scott Peeples.

It is especially appropriate to honor Scott on this tenth annual Martin Luther King service because this service is another of Scott's dreams that has so wonderfully come to life. I remember Scott saying to me eleven years ago, "We should have a King service." I agreed but couldn't see how we could pull it off. The next year Scott said to me "We're having a King service!" This time he left no room for my doubts. I had no choice but to follow his lead and get to work on helping this dream become a reality.

So this award honors Scott's dreams and his dedication to making them come alive. It honors his life work of building bridges-work that is so evident not only in his efforts on behalf of Toward Community, but also in his professional work at the ARC of Outagamie County, in his family life, his church work and his volunteering at his daughter Maria's elementary school. This award honors a man who does so much to make the Fox Cities a better place.

Scott, we give this award in recognition of the work you do and the life you live.