The 2010 Salute Morgan Hill winners will be honored at a
ceremony and dinner in January. The winners include a homemaker who
organized recreational opportunities for special needs children, a
31-year volunteer with Boy Scouts Troop 730, a teenager with
”
contagious
”
enthusiasm, and a Gavilan College ESL teacher.
The 2010 Salute Morgan Hill winners will be honored at a ceremony and dinner in January. The winners include a homemaker who organized recreational opportunities for special needs children, a 31-year volunteer with Boy Scouts Troop 730, a teenager with “contagious” enthusiasm, and a Gavilan College ESL teacher.
The Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce chooses a man, woman, student, educator, business and volunteer each year as winners of the Salute awards, based on nominations from the community. The awards honor those who have given back to the community.
The awards ceremony will take place Jan. 30, at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center. For more information, contact Chamber special events coordinator Michele Naylor at 779-9444 or mn*****@********ll.org.
Woman of the year
Teri Larice, 59, was surprised to learn she was chosen as Woman of the Year because she expects such honors to be reserved for people who have done “huge things” for the community.
“I’ve always done little things,” Larice said. “It feels strange because it’s normal for me to do these things.”
Those little things include volunteering with local sports organizations and the Centennial Recreation Center to develop recreational programs for special needs children, and volunteering for several years at her sons’ schools from Paradise Valley Elementary to Britton Middle to Live Oak High. She has served on school clubs and volunteered in the classroom as well as the school office.
Inspired by a son with special needs, Larice fondly recalls working with Morgan Hill Pony Baseball and Orchard Valley Soccer to develop recreational programs for disabled children, which she called “very rewarding.”
Man of the year
Lynn Liebschutz doesn’t seek recognition for the many volunteer endeavors he has participated in, and might say he has already been awarded by watching many Morgan Hill Boy Scouts he has mentored become Eagle Scouts. But he was won admiration from adults and children alike, according to a statement from the Chamber.
Liebschutz has lived in Morgan Hill for 33 years, and has devoted much of that time and his expertise to The Morgan Hill Grange, the Santa Clara County Science Fair, the Morgan Hill Library, local elections, Britton Band Boosters, and Central High School. He has volunteered with Boy Scouts Troop 730 for 31 years, and has even been named the Gilroy Garlic Festival Volunteer of the Year.
The man of the year’s work has been on display leading trash cleanup at the Taste of the Morgan Hill, Mushroom Mardi Gras and the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
Educator of the year
Ellen Yu Costa is a teacher of English as a Second Language at Gavilan College’s Morgan Hill site, in a class of 51 students. She has also worked for the Morgan Hill Unified School District as a coordinator of El Toro Elementary School’s after-school program and a trainer for Martin Murphy Middle School’s Leap Track Learning Systems program.
One reason Costa deserves the Educator of the Year honor is her continuous work on education and advocacy efforts for Morgan Hill’s immigrant community, according to the Chamber.
Student of the year
An anonymous nomination statement says Ann Sobrato High School student Franchesca Kellett is “everybody’s BFF (best friend forever), having never passed judgment on others.”
“She has high expectations not only for herself but also for others to be the best that one can be,” the nominator continues. “Her humble demeanor belies all that she has accomplished. Frankie recognizes that each of us is but one part of a larger community. Her dedication in all endeavors is admired by family, friends and colleagues. The world is fast changing; people come and go; but someone like Frankie will leave her mark for generations to come.”
Business of the year
Cherisse’s Hair Salon has organized a number of fundraisers to give back. Recent activities include a “pet wash,” which raised about $1,000 for the San Martin Animal Shelter, and a “party at the tool bar,” in which the salon donated styling tools to Community Solutions. Since November, Cherisse’s stylists have given free haircuts to clients of the Centennial Recreation Center’s Senior Center. Furthermore, salon owner Cherisse White shares her skills and knowledge with up-and-coming stylists, as a teacher at Gavilan College.
Volunteer of the year
Service by the Morgan Hill Kiwanis Club spans decades, starting in 1980 with their involvement in the Mushroom Mardi Gras. The club continues serving the community with their help organizing local programs such as the Friday Night Music Series. The Kiwanis Club has also organized the Holiday Lights Parade for the last 14 years, and each member of the club participated in the city’s centennial celebration in 2006.
“It’s all about giving back to the community,” said Kiwanis Club member Judi Chan. “And it’s good to make some noise (by winning this award) because it brings in new members, and more people hear about what we do.”
