2022
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DeniGu
Editor’s Note: This post is part of our series celebrating our Guiding Stars, the Local Guides who went above and beyond to make a difference in 2021, on Google Maps and off. Read more here.
Like many of you in the Local Guides community around the world, all ten of our Helpful Heroes share a deep passion for helping others. 2021 turned out to be as unpredictable as 2020, but they all sought new ways to support people, businesses, and even the environment. You’ll find them walking around the neighborhood, guiding others to safe places, mapping vaccine and test centers, making accessibility a priority, and more.
To celebrate these incredible Local Guides, we wanted to share a bit about how they went above and beyond this year.
Raising awareness through contributions
Alex (@lakeoftea) and Austin (@AKGraff) dive deep into exploring their cities to discover places, people, and facts that deserve to be on the map. In 2021, Alex added 32 parks in his hometown of Kansas City on Google Maps, often in areas with underrepresented communities. He’s on a mission to raise awareness of public spaces, hoping to inspire others to participate in the shared life of their neighborhoods.
A love for his city and a wish to create a more conscientious world for his four-year-old daughter are the key motivators behind Austin’s activities as a Local Guide. He invests time into researching and understanding the places he visits and uses his writing experience to create reviews that bring forth important yet lesser-known details.
Mapping the “new normal”
Hand sanitizers, signage to keep a safe distance and wear a mask, and other COVID-19 precautions remained a common sight in 2021. To help others find safe places to shop and eat out, David P. (@DavidTerronPla) incorporates such information into his reviews, even using emojis (😷) to catch the reader's attention.
Silvy (@SilvyC) uses her knowledge as a healthcare professional to curate lists of COVID-19 Patient Test Units and more. True to her helpful nature, she goes to great lengths to ensure information on Google Maps is correct, and her contributions reflect the ways businesses have changed to adapt to the new normal.
Helping businesses and people in times of crisis
As a small business owner, Kamal (@KamalHossenR) understood the challenges businesses faced this year. That’s why he dedicated himself to adding new ones on Maps, organizing meet-ups, and educating business owners on how to maintain an up-to-date business listing.
The pandemic put a strain on communities and healthcare systems worldwide, so Fazeel (@FazeelUsmani) didn’t hesitate to use his platform as a Local Guide to help. He organized meet-ups on Connect, answered questions about the availability of vaccines and hospital beds, and added food distribution centers and health camps on the map.
Similarly, Vaibhav (@vvaibhav655) updated the information of over 100 local stores, helping both the owners reach their customers and his community — to find what they needed.
Building a more sustainable and accessible world
In spring, Ermes (@ErmesT) introduced Accessible Life, a project that took years to prepare but has already inspired Local Guides on several continents to take part. It’s a way to discover and share accessible natural spots with the help of Google Earth, and it combines Ermes’s passion for the environment and accessibility.
Rebeca (@rebecaellerf) is a biologist who also focuses on ecology and accessibility. As part of the regular challenges that the Brazilian Local Guides initiated this year, hers brought attention to the importance of sharing sustainability details in reviews on Google Maps.
Valentine’s (@uavalentine) life took an unexpected turn when she moved to Turkey and started living on a boat. Her contributions on Google Maps moved away from the city attractions to gorgeous natural locations while keeping accessibility aspects paramount.
Join us in congratulating our Helpful Heroes in the comments below!
Congratulations to all of you. You are the Stars of our community.
Thanks @Connie-NYC for sharing this post and introducing these awesome Guiding stars.
Thank you so much @Connie-NYC , and for highlighting the Helpful Heroes of 2021. Old friends like @uavalentine, but also now ones like @rebecaellerf that I had the opportunity to meet a few days ago virtually. She's an amazing person.
Congratulations to @AKGraff , @vvaibhav655 , @FazeelUsmani , @KamalHossenR , @SilvyC , @DavidTerronPla , @lakeoftea , you are changing the world.
Regarding Accessible Life (in Google Earth) well, it is now Public for Everyone to contribute
