South Boston Citizens’ Association President Tom McGrath is pleased to announce that on Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Kickoff Breakfast at the Seapoint Restaurant at 10 a.m., the Henry Knox Award Presentation will take place. Family, friends and neighbors are respectfully invited to attend this wonderful event. A small donation is requested at door to help offset costs. This year’s event will once again feature great music of Bob Fowkes and Curragh’s Fancy.

The event chairman will be South Boston’s own City Councilor Billy Linehan, who has led the fight to preserve the historical importance of Evacuation Day. “As president of the Association, it is an honor for me to appoint Billy to kick-off the festivities. Bill’s commitment and involvement with the SBCA has been a tremendous asset to me and the Executive Board,” McGrath said.

The awards are presented to everyday citizens involved in the community who seek no recognition, who are considered “Unsung Heroes.” This year’s honorees are John Hogan, Ken Ryan, Jr., and Kevin Kelly.

The first recipient is John Hogan, who was born and raised in the D Street Housing projects in South Boston. John is the general manager of American Sweeps. John has been chosen as one of this year’s recipients because of his behind the scenes support of so many causes in South Boston. To name a few, John has been the main supporter of the Citizens’ Associations Annual Special Shamrock fundraiser, which benefits the South Boston Special Kids. John has also been a supporter of the BHA’s D Street Annual community day providing food and gifts for the children of the community. John was raised by his mother Betty, and has a son, John, and a daughter, Brianna.

Next up, Kenny Ryan, Jr., is a lifelong resident of South Boston and the oldest son of Kenny and Mary Ryan of East Seventh Street. A product of St. Brigid’s School and Boston College High School (’05), Ken earned his B.A. in communications from Boston College in 2009, where he served as a team manager for Coach Jerry York’s men’s ice hockey team.

After graduating from BC, Kenny returned to South Boston, where he followed in his father’s footsteps and became actively involved in local politics and community issues. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Harry McDonough Sailing Center, a self-sustaining, educational program dedicated to providing inner-city youth with a fun, safe, and accessible environment, while promoting positive life skills and values through sailing. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Foundation for Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF), a citywide organization that seeks to enhance the quality of life for Boston residents by partnering with community-based organizations to offer a wide range of comprehensive programs and activities.

Most recently, Ken was accepted into the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Boston’s Future Leaders Program for mid-level executives who demonstrate strong organizational and civic leadership potential. He was also selected to serve on Mayor Walsh’s 2015 ONEin3 Council, which engages Boston’s young adults through opportunities to participate in city government and civic affairs, facilitates communication between young adults and the city’s leadership, and connects young adults to city resources, neighborhood networks, and to one another. Ken currently works in the Government & Community Affairs office at Boston University, where he serves as the Director of City Relations.

As always, the SBCA likes to recognize a business that has been more than generous to the community. Northern Contracting Corp. has been in business for over 20 years and is a union shop that specializes in municipal projects in Boston and the surrounding areas. Kevin Kelly is the General Manager and another recipient of the Henry Knox “Unsung Hero” award.

Here is a list of charitable projects that Northern Contracting performed with the help of the local community, local politicians, Mayor Marty Walsh, prior administrations and several other local supporters of which there are too many to name.  “They couldn’t have done it without everybody’s support!” said Kelly.

-Home for Sydnie: Sydney is a young girl from Boston with many handicap challenges. With the help of union trades, we renovated the family’s home to make it handicap accessible and improve her qualify of life.

-Boston Animal Shelter: Made improvements to the animal park.

-South Boston Collaborative: Renovated old library and converted it to usable office space for the South Boston Collaborative.

-McDonough Sailing Program

-Saint Joseph’s Church: Renovations & cleanup for Father Joe White.

-Gavin Foundation

-St. Mary’s Home for Women & Children: Renovation to add a new children’s classroom & several other projects

-South Boston Citizens’ Association Special Shamrock Fundraiser:

“It is an honor to recognize these individuals who dedicate their time and energy to the South Boston Community. I hope the community will join me and others on Saturday, Feb. 27, to honor these individuals,” McGrath said.

Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10 or by contacting Tom McGrath at tmcgrath1963sb@gmail.com.