The Bloc, a philanthropic non-profit organization based in Lincoln, will honor 50 Nebraskans as recipients of its inaugural 50 Over 50 Awards this fall.

The 50 Over 50 Awards recognizes top achievers in five categories — nonprofit, innovation, business, community and health care — who are age 50 and older.

Carmen Tapio, CEO of North End Teleservices, will be recognized with the Lifetime Award.

Two judges of the Separate Juvenile Court for Douglas County are among the initial honorees for the other 50 Over 50 Awards.

Retired Judge Wadie Thomas brought Adoption Saturday to Douglas County in 1999 and helped spread it across the state. He was also the first African American male judge in Nebraska.

Judge Vernon Daniels has served on the court since being appointed in 2001. He has reserved numerous accolades including the Nebraska State Bar Association’s 2011 Diversity Award and 2013 Award of Appreciation; the Child Saving Institute’s 2011 A. W. Clark Award; the Urban League’s 2012 Government Leader Award; and Charles Drew Health Center’s 2012 Community Service Award.

The Bloc is a nonprofit that focuses on education, charity and community building. The aim of the 50 Over 50 Awards is to promote diversity and inclusion.

The group said that those age 50 and older contributed 39% of the state’s total gross domestic product, including creating over 42% of jobs and generating over $33 billion in wages and other income.

“The accomplishments of people age 50 years and over contribute to making Nebraska a great state and should be celebrated,” the group said in a news release.

An awards ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Omaha. Tickets are on sale and are limited. Find more information at communitybloc.com.

More than 1,100 candidates were nominated for the awards.

Beyond Thomas and Daniels, the other people being reorganized are: Kirk Anderson, Christine Anderson, Tony Bolt, Marcy Browning, Walter “Ted” Carter, Chelsea Chesen, Bc Clark, Carol Cleaver, Tanya Cook, Meg Damme, Doug Durham, Nicole Edmundson, Phyllis Ericson, Eric Ewing, Renee Franklin, James Freeman, Karen Gibler, Darrin Good, Candace Gregory, Brian Hastings, Scott Hazelrigg, Rosey Higgs, Chris Hove, Jeff Huber, Janice Mary Jansky, Welton Juilfs, Annabelle Keene, Ali Khan, Judith Martin, Erica Mascarello, John McCollister, Diva Mejias, Mick Mines, Tamara Morris, Carolina Padilla, Carole Patrick, Yesenia Peck, Eli Rigatuso, Harold Sargus, Sandy Spady, Lazaro Spindola, Paula Steenson, Paul Strawhecker, Jona Van Deun, Ian Vickers, Jim Warren and Aileen Warren.

The 50 Over 50 Up-and-Coming Trailblazers recipients are Brian Craig, Alexander Dunn, Washington Garcia, Lasagne Johnson, Jeremiah Dane Larsen, Marjorie Maas, Jacqueline Miller, Vidhya Selvaraj, Travis Sturgill and Rob Wagner.

Find more information at 50over50ne.com.