Shining Star of Perseverance
Encyclopedia
The Shining Star of Perseverance is awarded annually by the WillReturn Council of Assurant Employee Benefits
to honor and recognize individuals and groups who overcome disabilities to succeed in the workplace and society. Award honorees include:
Honorees are inducted into the Perseverance Hall of Fame.
Assurant Employee Benefits
Assurant Employee Benefits, a part of Assurant, Inc., is a provider of employee benefits insurance products. The company offers a wide range of employer-paid and employee-paid products tailor-made for small to mid-size businesses including disability, life and AD&D, dental and reinsurance...
to honor and recognize individuals and groups who overcome disabilities to succeed in the workplace and society. Award honorees include:
- 2003 - Aron RalstonAron RalstonAron Lee Ralston is an American mountain climber and inspirational public speaker. He is widely known for having survived a 2003 canyoneering accident in Utah in which he was forced to amputate his own right arm with a dull pocketknife in order to free himself from a dislodged boulder.The incident...
- Aron is a mountain climber who was forced to amputate his own arm before hiking back to civilization. - 2004 - Sen. Robert Dole - Severely injured in combat in World War II, Dole recovered and went on to Law School and to a leadership position in the Senate.
- 2005 - Andrew Lourake - Andrew is the first American pilot to return to the military with an above the knee amputation.
- 2006 - Jeff Matovic - Jeff discovered own miracle cure for Tourette's Syndrome symptoms having the doctors perform the successful surgery on himself.
- 2007 - Authors of "Nordie's at Noon"- A group of five young women who were diagnosed with breast cancer and created their own support group.
- 2008 - J.R. MartinezJ.R. MartinezJose Rene "J. R." Martinez is an American actor, motivational speaker and former U.S. Army soldier. Since 2008 he has played the role of Brot Monroe on the ABC daytime drama All My Children, and was the winner of Season 13 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars...
- An Iraq war veteran severely injured in an accident, Retired Martinez is now a motivational speaker and plays a role on All My Children. - 2009 - Gilbert TuhabonyeGilbert TuhabonyeGilbert Tuhabonye, born on November 22, 1974 in Songa, Burundi, is an American long distance runner.Tuhabonye's most noted accomplishment is winning the Burundi national championship in the men's 400m and 800m as a junior in high school....
- Gilbert was the sole survivor in the 1993 Kibimba school massacre in Africa. He has lived in the United States since 1996 and is a national champion runner. - 2010 - Chris Waddell - Chris Waddell is the most-decorated skier in Paralympic history, and is the first and only paraplegic to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. On May 5, Chris Waddell was named the 2010 Shining Star of Perseverance Honoree.
- 2011 - Jennifer Mundl - Jennifer Mundl, who despite being a ventilator-dependent, quadriplegic, works as an Assistive Technology Specialist at the Courage Center.
Honorees are inducted into the Perseverance Hall of Fame.
Other awards
In addition to the Shining Star of Perseverance Award, Assurant Employee Benefits' WillReturn Council presents:- The Perseverance Award - to those disability claimants who return to work through extraordinary effort.
- The Partnership Award - to disability policyholders who go to extra lengths to help employees return to work.
- The Pacesetter Award - to Health Care Professionals and/or Facilities that show innovation and extra effort in assisting employees to return to work.