Celebrating Local Humanitarians

Stuff We Love

Feb. 28, 2026

Each spring, the City of Traverse City’s Human Rights Commission honors individuals and businesses/organizations for their good deeds in northern Michigan. The Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award—so named for the fascinating and generous woman who is also immortalized with the TC farmers market—is given to a person who embodies the Commission’s core values of “mutual understanding, respect, and inclusivity within our community,” while the Business/Organization Humanitarian Efforts Award goes to local groups with “sustained and meaningful commitment to helping others in the Traverse City region.” The 2025 recipients were the late Holly T. Bird, Michigan Indian Legal Services, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Nominations are open now through April 3 for the 2026 awards. Find the nomination forms at traversecitymi.gov/government/appointed-boards/human-rights-commission/human-rights-commission.html.