The Washingtonian’s annual Green Awards recognize local people and groups working to improve our environment and encourage green living. Send nominations to Leslie Milk at lmilk@washingtonian.com by Friday, February 10, 2012. Winners will be profiled in the May issue. To see last year’s winners, click here.

WRC-TV anchor Jim Vance, who served as emcee; “Washingtonian” publisher Catherine Merrill Williams; former senator George Allen; “Washingtonian” chairman Eleanor Merrill; and Susan Allen.

The Washingtonian celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Washingtonian of the Year Awards and honored the 2011 Washingtonians of the Year at a luncheon at the Willard InterContinental yesterday. Nearly 250 guests and past winners celebrated the spirit of community service and volunteerism that the awards represent. News4 anchor Jim Vance served as emcee and revealed the “dark side” of colleague Tom Sherwood, who was one of the honorees.

“He tweets,” Vance joked. “He’s too old to tweet.”

Among the attendees was former senator George Allen, whose father, legendary Redskins coach George Allen, was the first to receive the award in 1971. Sponsored by Allstate Insurance, the Washingtonian of the Year luncheon honored eight local heroes—Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, Virginia volunteer Hecda Cuadros, Arlington Free Clinic director Nancy Sanger Pallesen, philanthropist Catherine Reynolds, foster parents Fatima and Ibrahim Savage, reporter Tom Sherwood, Arena Stage artistic director Molly Smith, and Robert Zagorski, who devotes 250 days a year to volunteer service.

See the 2011 Washingtonians of the Year.

We are excited to announce the launch of Washingtonian Custom Media (WCM).

Publishing companies like The Washingtonian around the nation and the world have realized that they can take the experience and quality talent they use to publish their own award-winning titles and provide those same content marketing services to help others.

The author calls the day her donor family wrote to her one of the happiest of her life. Photograph by Benjamin C. Tankersley

At the end of every year, my family sends holiday cards with updates on our news, pictures of vacations, and the latest on my health. Eleven years ago, when I was four, I got a new heart.

Ever since, we’ve also sent a card to my donor family. We’ve always addressed it care of the hospital where the transplant took place—you’re not allowed to know anything about the family unless they give permission or contact you. They never replied. Then in 2008, I attended the U.S. Transplant Games in Pittsburgh. The event is an Olympics-style competition for living donors, donor families, and transplant recipients. I was a member of Team Maryland, running in the 5K race.

Harper gives skateboards to kids in his old neighborhood. Photographs by Kevin A. Koski

Skateboarder Darren Harper is standing at the bottom of a steep driveway in Silver Spring—he’s giving lessons to a pair of young girls who haven’t spent much time on a board, and they’re reluctant to start their descent.

“Whatever you do, don’t take your hands off the board!” he shouts to the girls, who are getting used to the feel by going downhill while seated on the board. “There’s a whole lot of steppingstones you’ve got to step over to get to a better place.”

He knows that better than anyone.