Hollister might be a small community, but it has a lot of heart.
It is also home to many dedicated people
– teachers, librarians and other kindhearted folk who think
nothing of working long hours for the greater good of everyone.
On Thursday night, four of them were given Gavilan College
Community Spirit Awards for going above and beyond the call of
duty.
Hollister – Hollister might be a small community, but it has a lot of heart. It is also home to many dedicated people – teachers, librarians and other kindhearted folk who think nothing of working long hours for the greater good of everyone.
On Thursday night, four of them were given Gavilan College Community Spirit Awards for going above and beyond the call of duty.
Jo Wahdan, who recently retired as head librarian from the San Benito County Free Library, was presented a special recognition award. In addition to working as a librarian for 25 years of service, Wahdan has worked with at-risk youth, through San Benito County Youth Services and San Benito Youth Alliance. And despite retirement, she won’t be resting on her laurels.
“I might be retired, but I am not planning on slowing down,” she said.
The awards are given annually at the holiday mixer at Gavilan Community College to Hollister residents who have done positive work for the community. The college also presents the awards for residents of Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
Adult Literacy Program of San Benito County was another winner at the ceremony. Hundreds of people have taken advantage of the program, from recent immigrants to people who passed through the school system without ever learning how to read well. The program is funded by a five year grant from the state and administered by the San Juan Bautista City Library. However, money runs out next summer and the program may close unless additional funding is found.
“This comes at an opportune time for us,” said Alyson Creech, literacy coordinator. “The biggest thing is to increase awareness of the service and hopefully the money will follow.”
Another unassuming winner was The UPS Store located at 201 McCray St. and owned by Salinas resident Gary Mangus. Although Mangus doesn’t live in Hollister, he said he felt strongly about contributing something to the community where his business was located. Mangus was recognized for providing financial and other kind of assistance to San Benito County nonprofits as well as creating incentives for businesses to get involved in the community, such as giving $175 of free services to any business joining the Hollister Chamber of Commerce. He has also began a fax and ink-jet cartridge recycling program with all the profits going to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society.
“This is a first business for me,” said Mangus. “I have felt a lot of warmth from this community and am astounded that it was given to me.”
Local homeless advocate and founder of the annual Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners, Marley Holte, was also awarded for his tireless contributions to Hollister. Holte is behind an effort to build a cold weather shelter for the homeless. He said it was community spirit and generosity that lifted his projects off the ground and allowed them to have the impact they do.
“The people in this county are the most generous I’ve ever seen,” he said as he accepted his award during the event.
Karina Ioffee covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or
ki*****@fr***********.com
