Seven Southern Maryland residents will be honored with awards during the first Human Spirit/Enduring Spirit awards ceremony, to be held April 30.

Sue DelaCruz of Waldorf, Megan Shaw of Lusby and Helen Wernecke of Leonardtown will each receive a Human Spirit Award for their efforts in saving the lives of others. John Bloom of Indian Head, Dick Gregory of La Plata, Wardell Swann of Hughesville and Mike Whitson of Mechanicsville will be honored with Enduring Spirit Awards for their ongoing efforts to assist others in need and for their service to their communities.

A group of Southern Maryland leaders have collaborated to present these awards, which will be presented on an annual basis. The committee is composed of Karen Acton, group president and publisher of Southern Maryland Newspapers; Brad Gottfried, president of the College of Southern Maryland; Joe Slater, president and chief executive officer of Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO); Wayne Clark, executive director of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland, and the three current or past United Way presidents, Kelly Chambers, Dottie Harper and Ellen Servetnick.

The ceremony will be held Wednesday, April 30 at 4 p.m. in the SMECO headquarters auditorium, 15035 Burnt Store Road, Hughesville.