Shining Star of Perseverance

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:
*2003 - Aron Ralston - Ralston is a mountain climber who was forced to amputate his own arm using a dull multi-tool 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 - Lourake is the first American pilot to return to the military with an above the knee amputation.
*2006 - Jeff Matovic - Matovic 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. Martinez- 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 Tuhabonye - Tuhabonye 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 - 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 - 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.

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