Maridena Rojas, of the Talbot Norfolk Triangle Neighborhood Association (TNT), was presented with a plaque for her nomination as a candidate for the national Dorothy Richardson Award on June 3 during the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation’s annual Caribbean JerkFest celebration.

The award for resident leadership, sponsored by NeighborWorks, honors the spirit and life’s work of Dorothy Mae Richardson, and her neighbors, who sparked a movement in the 1960s on the north side of Pittsburgh. Their efforts resulted in the establishment of the first Neighborhood Housing Services, the forerunner of today’s NeighborWorks network, which is active in Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods.