CAMBRIDGE — Nominations are still open for the Dorchester Banner’s Hometown Heroes awards for 2018. Do your part to help us celebrate these Hometown Heroes by nominating friends and acquaintances that you know are deserving of recognition for their contributions to our community.

Since our founding in 1897, The Banner’s mission has been to educate and celebrate the Heart of Chesapeake Country, and to fulfill that mission, we have published countless stories about the people who make this community what it is. But we know there are more stories out there — people who haven’t received the recognition they may deserve. These community-serving folks are what we call our “Hometown Heroes.”

A Hometown Hero nominee could be anyone who goes above and beyond to help others or overcome obstacles — someone who helps in an emergency, a neighbor who organizes a benefit for a family having financial troubles, or a particularly good teacher or community advocate. Anyone who creates a bright spot in our community.

We have extended our nomination process this year until March 16--that’s this Friday. All the nominees will be honored on the Banner’s website — DorchesterBanner.com — and our finalists will be featured in a special publication in March of 2018.

There are eight categories:

• Community — A person who has donated their time or has done something to improve the community.

• Business — An organization or group of people who have undertaken a project to help others.

• Mentor/Coach — A person who has made a dramatic impact in the life of another.

• Emergency Responder — A person who steps forward during an emergency to help.

• Faith/Spiritual — A person who makes an impact in their church or the religious community.

• Youth — A younger member of the community who has found a special way to brighten the day of others.

• Educator — A teacher, current or retired, who has found ways to inspire students beyond their own expectations.

• Lifetime achievement — A long-standing community member who has consistently and tirelessly stepped forward and exemplified a passion for giving.

Super Heroes will be chosen from each category by a committee consisting of last year’s heroes. The committee will review the nominations and select a superhero for each category along with two runners up. Those winners will be featured in a special publication and will be honored with an awards ceremony on March 29, at the Dorchester Center for the Arts. All nominations must be received by March 16.

Look for the Hometown Heroes nomination form in today’s Banner. Please give your full name and town of the person or persons you want to nominate, their full name and contact information, which category they fit into and explain why you think they deserve recognition.

Send your hero nominations to hometownheroes@newszap.com or drop off or mail them to The Banner, 103 Cedar St., Cambridge, MD 21613. Or you can go to DorchesterBanner.com/HometownHeroes to fill out and submit the form electronically.

Please note that past winners of the Hometown Heroes award are not eligible for nomination for 2018. These fine folks include: Dr. Michael Moskewicz, Rufus & Lorraine Todd, Lorraine Henry, Libby Handley Nagel, Buddy Mowbray, Pat Wilcox, Calvin Stack, Juanita Weber Darby, Ken Malik, Martin Sharp, Tracy Tyler, Steve Rideout, Major DeRue Hoffman, the Rev. Charles Cephas, the Rev. George Ames, Steve Bloodsworth, Francis Bloodsworth, Dr. Oluwole Olusola, Lois Narr, Wylie Gray Sr., Jake Coleman, Phoenix Bell, Danielle Waters, April Dean Goodman, Cesar Gonzalez, Dr. Carol R. Lewis, Jerry T. Burroughs, David Cannon, Ric Otey, Bessie Griep, Herschel F. Johnson, Pastor Andre Kane, Jason Shorter, Arneda Hopkins, Brad Walters, Gail Benjamin, Katie Smith, Raymond Farrare, and Ruth Stanley.

Help us give recognition to the real unsung heroes of Dorchester County — nominate your favorites today, for 2018’s list of Hometown Heroes in the Heart of Chesapeake Country.