Mayor Cherelle L. Parker Presents the Inaugural One Philly Award to Dawn Staley During Celebration of Freedom Ceremony

Official presentation took place at the Celebration of Freedom Ceremony, presented by Freedom Mortgage, supported by Visit Philadelphia & produced by the Office of the City Representative during the Wawa Welcome America Festival on July 4th

PHILADELPHIA - Mayor Cherelle L. Parker today presented the first ever Mayor's One Philly Award to Dawn Staley, Philadelphia native, American basketball coach and head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team. The award was presented as part of the Wawa Welcome AmericaCelebration of Freedom Ceremony at Independence Hall. The inaugural One Philly Award honors Philadelphians who utilize their platform to unify, inspire and elevate our city.

The Mayor's One Philly Award recognizes Philadelphians who embody the ideals of "One Philly" to be civic-minded, trailblazing in leadership and focused on serving the community. The One Philly Awardee is someone who both serves as inspiration and helps the positive image of Philadelphia.

North Philadelphia native and One Philly Award recipient, Dawn Staley is one of the most decorated participants in United States women's basketball history. A graduate of Murrell Dobbins Vocational High School, Staley is a two-time National Player of the Year (1991 and 1992) and three-time Kodak All-American (1990, 1991, 1992). Those same years, Staley was the ACC Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992 and the league's Rookie of the Year in 1989.

Today, Staley is a three-time Olympic gold medalist winner, six-time WNBA All-Star Player, and three-time NCAA Division 1 Tournament Champion Coach, who guided the South Carolina Gamecocks to a perfect 38-0 season this year.

Dawn embodies the relentless pursuit of excellence, fueled by a deep pride in her beloved hometown Philadelphia. Her legacy and dedication to women's sports continue to inspire a new generation of women in the sports industry to reach for greatness.

Dawn Staley accepted the award from Mayor Parker, and said she was honored to be recognized in her hometown. "For just this one day Mayor, I'd like to call it the One North Philly Award," Dawn Staley said.

"The One Philly Award is about recognizing great Philadelphians doing great things. I could not think of many people who embody the resilience and grit of our city like Dawn Staley," said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. "It is an honor to present the first ever One Philly Award to Dawn Staley who is not only an excellent ambassador of our city but also an inspiration to so many. Philadelphia just wants to say, we see you and we are proud of you Dawn."

Mayor Parker presented the Mayor's One Philly Award at the City of Philadelphia's annual Celebration of Freedom Ceremony produced by the Office of the City Representative at Independence National Historical Park during the annual Wawa Welcome America festival on Thursday, July 4, 2024.

The Celebration of Freedom Ceremony presented by Freedom Mortgage and supported by Visit Philadelphia, took place this morning at 10 a.m., on the south side of Independence Square (the southside of Independence Hall) and featured performances by the United States Army Field Band Chorus and Broadway vocalist Jennifer Holliday, an original cast member of the hit Dreamgirls. Special guests included keynote speaker, Speaker of the PA House of Representatives Joanna McClinton. The event featured an abbreviated reading of the Declaration of Independence by two students: Cheo Mangum, rising sophomore at CAPA, The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, and Cas Edens, rising sophomore at Girard Academic Music Program. In addition, the Wawa Foundation Hero Award was presented to the Philadelphia Fire Department's EMS Explorer and Career Youth Development Program, and the Celebrate Freedom Award presented by Freedom Mortgage was presented to Naomi Connelly, Sergeant First Class, Army Field Artillery Firefinder Radar Operator.

"In my debut year as City Representative, I am immensely proud of my team for their continued dedication and hard work in ensuring that this celebration goes off without a hitch," said City Representative and Director of Special Events Jazelle Jones. "Let's join together and celebrate America's birthday as we honor the men and women who serve our great nation, along with our everyday heroes/sheroes and trailblazers who inspire us all."

The Celebration of Freedom Ceremony will broadcast on NBC10 and Telemundo62 at 6 p.m. today, Thursday, July 4 or watch on nbcphiladelphia.com, followed by the live broadcast of the Wawa Welcome America evening concert starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, which takes place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

View photos from the event on the City of Philadelphia's Flickr account

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