The award, established in 1998 to honor volunteers aged 60 and older, was renamed in 2009 in memory of former County Councilmember, County Executive, and longtime civic activist Neal Potter.
Rubens comes from a family with a long tradition of helping others, especially the young, the elderly, and those less fortunate. Her extensive volunteer work in the area of education includes being a member of the founding committee of Blacks United for Excellence in Education and the countywide Saturday School, which provides tutoring and mentoring to enhance the academic achievement of African American students in Grades 1 through 12. She also has served as program coordinator for the Study Circles program; community coordinator for the National Council of Negro Women’s (NCNW) after-school program for more than 100 African American teen girls; and assisted in the development of the MCPS’ Success for Every Student Plan.
