GOODWILL AMBASSADOR
Click HERE for a list of past Goodwill Ambassador recipients
Guidelines for Selecting the Honoree
Every two years the ACBL recognizes a person within our Unit who has made a contribution to the game.  This award will be presented to the proud recipient in Greenville, SC  at a special dinner during the regional tournament in June. All members of Unit 169 can nominate people who have made a contribution to our local games and tournaments.  For example, you could nominate someone that has helped you or has made bridge more enjoyable over the past two years, or someone who exhibited gracious table manners and kindness to partners and opponents.  Many of our members have volunteered their time to help run games and tournaments. Our Unit and District 7 is committed to providing the best organization and tournaments in the country. In pursuit of that, we support the principles of goodwill, including Zero Tolerance, active ethics, full disclosure and other concepts designed to make bridge more pleasant for everyone. Some of the components of goodwill include: • Observes both the laws and ethics of the game • Plays competitively and is always fair • Is gracious in victory as well as defeat • Is pleasant as both a partner and an opponent • Exhibits good manners at the table and helps others enjoy the experience • Graciously abides by rulings of the director • Does not give unsolicited bridge lessons at the table • Avoids discussion of boards in the presence of new opponents • Gives due consideration to personal appearance and conduct • Does not become quarrelsome or angry during the game • Genuinely promotes bridge and upholds its reputation • Gives back to the game through mentoring newer players • Volunteers in administration of the game • Promotes the game by example
Congratulations to Judy Hellen,
2025 Unit 169 Goodwill Ambassador
by Peter Boyd-Bowman
Every two years, the ACBL and Unit 169 recognize a person within our Unit who has made significant contributions to the game. I am truly excited to announce that Judy Hellen is the winner of the 2025 Unit 169 Goodwill Ambassador award.
I've been in the Greensboro and Unit 169 bridge scene for almost nineteen years. In that time, hundreds of bridge players have come and gone, but there are only a handful that really stand out as people who've made a significant contribution to the game. Judy Hellen is one of the rare few. I'm not exactly sure when she took up the game, but she came on to my radar about 10 years ago, first at the local dupes and almost immediately at Unit tournaments. As a player, Judy has grown significantly, and is probably only a year or two away from reaching Gold Life Master status. And while it's rewarding to watch a player like Judy develop her game over the years, it's been a blessing -- both for myself and for Unit 169 -- that her love for the game has blossomed into a devotion to service for the local bridge community.
For over five years now, Judy has been the vanguard of local efforts to promote and teach bridge in our area. In her role as a bridge teacher, she has helped develop and encourage the game of countless students. As an education liaison for the Unit, she has helped increase the amount of bridge education available in the area by marshalling a cadre of new teachers. As a motivator and champion of the game, she continually inspires the new batches of recruits that she is helping to create, and is directly responsible for the integration of scores of new players into the local bridge community.
If all of that weren't enough, Judy gives a lot of her time to local bridge governance, having served on the Unit 169 board for a number of years, and has volunteered tirelessly on the Unit's behalf since her earliest days as a player. Judy is an all-around dedicated volunteer. The Unit is immeasurably lucky to have her, and I am honored to call her friend.
Judy will be honored, along with other new Goodwill Ambassador for other Units within the District, at a banquet at the upcoming Regional in Greenville SC.​
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