SOMERSET - Lakis Mavinidis, the Harlan County Solid Waste Coordinator, was honored at the sixth annual PRIDE Envi Awards Monday at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset. He was one of three finalists for the Tony Turner Volunteer of the Year Award.

The awards ceremony featured a video about Mavinidis, as well as a performance by the Harlan Boys Choir. The awards program was recorded for broadcast on WYMT-TV on June 12 at 7 p.m. ET and KET on June 13 at 8 p.m. ET.

Mavinidis volunteered as the Harlan County PRIDE coordinator for six years and still invests evening and weekend hours in PRIDE events across the county. He organizes the county's fall and spring cleanups and works with the media to publicize PRIDE activities. He promotes the PRIDE goals among schools, citizens, civic clubs and local governments. In 2005, the Harlan County Schools gave him the “Superintendent's Teamwork Award” for his assistance in their PRIDE projects.

“I congratulate our Envi Award finalists and winners,” said Congressman Hal Rogers. “You earned this special recognition because you improved our environment this year. You should take great pride in knowing that you made a difference. I certainly am proud of you. The Envi Awards honor the people who went an extra mile for PRIDE this year, but there are literally thousands of additional volunteers, community leaders and students who are paving the way to a cleaner, healthier future. I thank you all.”

The Tony Turner Volunteer of the Year Award is given annually to a volunteer or volunteer group that went above and beyond the ordinary to improve the environment. The award is named for the late Tony Turner, who was vice president and station manager for WYMT-TV and a leader in the PRIDE initiative. Turner's widow and daughter, Geraldine and Courtney, presented the trophy this year.

PRIDE serves 38 counties in southern and eastern Kentucky. The organization links citizens with the resources of local, state and federal agencies to clean up the region's waterways, end illegal trash dumps and promote environmental education and awareness. PRIDE is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.