Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson presents the June MoorHeart Award to Pat Lenertz, shown with his family — wife Jessica Rose, son Rider Avery, and parents Joanne and Michael Lenertz.

Well-known Moorhead musician Pat Lenertz was surprised this week to find himself the June recipient of the city’s MoorHeart Award, presented to a Moorheader who has made an outstanding contribution to the community.

When he received the official letter announcing the presentation, Lenertz replied, “At first I figured the city was writing to warn me about my lawn.” He said he felt unworthy of the honor.

But the MoorHeart Selection Committee clearly disagreed. His submission spurred the committee to recognize Lenertz for his willingness “to help those in need through his music and mental health advocacy.” Their presentation continued, “Lenertz uses his time and music to shed light on positive community engagement, often donating his talents for benefit concerts and performances for the patients and staff of CCRI, where he is employed as a licensed mental health practitioner. He also teams up with other musicians, showing the value of bringing communities together through positive activities for people and projects in need.”

Chris Larson’s nomination cited his “dedication to his community, his strength of character and his overwhelmingly big and open heart.” Larson noted that he has yet to receive the public accolades he believes Lenertz is due. One example: During the pandemic, Pt enlisted the help of a friend with a flatbed truck, hooked up a public address system, and drove to local elder care facilities to provide them with music and a connection to the outside world when it was badly needed.

“To anyone who knows him, this was not surprising. Both as a solo act and band leader, he has donated countless hours of performance time to charity efforts throughout his career,” Larson continued. Among his projects is the annual Hot Peppers for CCRI benefit fundraiser he started in 2016.