Summer Brooke Gomez & Diane Donahue are Woodgate Neighbors of the Year

Two long-time Woodgate residents are being honored as 2024 Woodgate Neighbors of the Year – Summer Brooke Gomez and Diane Donahue. The honors were announced at the Annual Meeting on January 29 at Dorothy Oven Park by WNA President Matt Schreck. The selection was by the Woodgate Neighborhood Association Board.

The first NOY award went to Summer Brooke Gomez, recognizing her substantial service in offering to make soup for neighbors in need. Summer graciously made and delivered, with the help of her husband Joe, 60 meals of her delicious vegetable beef soup to Woodgate residents experiencing health challenges in 2024.

Summer, who lives on Woodgate Way, has been a resident of Woodgate since 2013. She joined our Neighbors Helping Neighbors committee at its inception in 2019.  The service Summer offered was to make soup for neighbors in need.   One resident described the soup as "amazing!”                                    

The next award was for Diane Donahue, who also lives on Woodgate Way. Following the unexpected death of a neighbor, Steve Recbich, Diane arranged the adoption of one of Steve’s dogs, Lucky, and personally adopted his other dog, Lilly, as her family pet.

Lilly needed veterinary care and, eventually, surgery for cancer. An appeal was extended to our Woodgate neighbors to help pay the surgery expense. In true Woodgate form, residents generously donated $680. Diane reports that Lilly is recovering nicely.