In 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated Honduras, causing catastrophic flooding and landslides due to record breaking rainfall. The storm, which stalled over that country for several days, resulted in widespread destruction, with tens of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed with significant loss of life. It was considered one of the deadliest hurricanes in Atlantic history, with over 7,000 fatalities in Honduras alone.
The Sunday after the storm, thousands of miles away, Sherrie Wade, the Social Concerns Minister of St. Paul’s Church in Damascus, Maryland stood before her fellow parishioners and called on them to help. The response was overwhelmingly generous. With the support of her then pastor, Father Peter Sweeney, and fellow parishioner and Honduras native Joanny Figugora, the St. Paul’s Clinic in Honduras was born. In the 27 years since, thousands of Hondurans have been served at a year-round medical, dental and vision clinic. Twice each year, in winter and summer, Sherrie Wade forms “brigades” of two dozen American doctors, dentists, nurses and health professionals to travel to the poverty stricken Central American nation to offer regular check ups and extended care to the many times expanded clinic in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. It all happens because of the vision and the faith-in-action drive of one woman: Sherrie Wade.

We are honored to recognize Sherrie Wade as recipient of the 2025 John S. Mulholland Lifetime Achievement Award for her work, both in Honduras and locally in the Washington Metropolitan Area, as a mentor for others involved in social concerns ministries and her impact on vital programs for the poor domestically and internationally.

The award will be presented at A Capital Evening XII to benefit the John S. Mulholland Family Foundation on Friday, November 21, 2025 at The Ritz-Carlton Washington.