The fact that the annual Morgan Hill Leadership Excellence award ceremony is sold out seems to be a testament to the popularity of this year’s winner, Rosy Bergin.
Bergin, the owner of Rosy’s at the Beach restaurant on Monterey Road in downtown Morgan Hill will be honored Saturday at a fundraiser at the Chiala Estate in east Morgan Hill.
The Excellence award is given to a local resident every year by Leadership Morgan Hill, a nonprofit organization that trains and educates prospective community leaders for the future benefit of Morgan Hill.
The organization offers the award to a recipient who “embodies the core values of leadership – someone who is extremely visible, local, and has been providing guidance and support in the community,” according to Leadership Morgan Hill president Victor Gaxiola.
Bergin meets those criteria, plus she is a graduate of the annual nine-month educational program offered by the organization, Gaxiola said.
“She’s a community leader, she’s well-respected for her community involvement, and she’s always been very giving” to organizations and other local businesses that seek her assistance, Gaxiola said.
As an example, he cited Bergin’s willingness to help publicize fledgling organizations, nonprofit events and fundraisers on the walls of her restaurant, as well as her longtime involvement in the Rotary Club.
Mayor Steve Tate, past president of the Leadership board of directors, described Bergin as a “wonderful person” who acts as a “booster” for other downtown Morgan Hill when she’s not running her own restaurant.
“If you know Rosy, you understand how much she is dedicated to Morgan Hill, and to the downtown especially,” Tate said. “She promotes the community.”
Bergin, who has owned her Morgan Hill restaurant for 14 years with husband Rich, said she was “honored” to learn she was chosen as this year’s Leadership Excellence award.
As a 2003 graduate of the Leadership course, Bergin learned a lot about Morgan Hill and met people who are still her friends through the program. She found the organization to be a valuable resource for Morgan Hill that she wants to help preserve.
“They’re developing these people for the good of our community, and it’s a really responsible thing for the (organization) to be doing,” Bergin said.
Saturday’s Excellence award ceremony is sold out. The event is a fundraiser for the Leadership Morgan Hill educational organization.
