Emmaus House, El Teatro and Charles River Labs get nod from
community college for work in San Benito County. Each year, an
individual, a business and a nonprofit organization are
selected.
HOLLISTER
The Gavilan College Board of Trustees recently announced winners of the 2008 Gavilan College Community Spirit Awards. They are as follows:
Peggy Huffstutler began working at Emmaus House, a safe gateway for women exiting domestic violence, before it even opened in 2006. Her services are of incredible value: at least 300 women in San Benito County need services each year, and many more come from outside the county seeking safe refuge. She has been a steady and consistent voice of comfort and reason for the women and has been an effective public face for the agency, according to a statement from Gavilan College spokeswoman Jan Bernstein Chargin.
She works with women directly as a house/program manager and publicizes the agency’s needs and services in the community, according to the statement. Over the past year, she has helped Gavilan College students to learn about Emmaus House through her partnership with the Service Learning program. She has been helpful in providing prompt and affective feedback to Gavilan College faculty and serves on the Service Learning Advisory Board, the statement reads. The students who have worked with her said the experience was “life changing,” the statement said.
El Teatro Campesino, known worldwide for its contributions to the farmworker movement and Chicano theater, has made its home in San Juan Bautista since 1971, according to the college’s statement.
“It is our mission to create a popular art with a 21st century tools that presents a more just and accurate account of human history, while encouraging the young women and men of a new generation to take control of their own destiny through creative discipline, vibrant education, economic independence, and artistic excellence.” Founder Luis Valdez wrote. “We have always believed that community is the creator of theater, and that theater is the creator of community. … Our company is largely self-supporting, without city, county, state or federal grants…. Where farm workers once packed fruit, El Teatro Campesino now packs dreams.”
Upcoming, there is a free performance of “La Virgen de Tepayac” at 6 a.m. Dec 12 (anniversary of vision), and ticket prices are kept low.
Charles River Labs has been doing business and contributed to the Hollister community for 15 years, according to the college’s statement. They participate on the Private Industry Council, Workforce Investment Board and Economic Development Corporation. The company funds an annual scholarship at San Benito High School, partners with HOPE services, and provides ESL and GED classes, which are open to the community. Every year for the holidays, the company adopts an organization (this year it will be CASA) and have just adopted a road, while having employees clean the stretch of San Felipe Road near their facility. Employees also volunteer in the community, in particular at the Marley Holte dinners, and participate in annual clothing and food drives.
The Gavilan College Community Spirit Awards were created in 1999, the statement reads. The awards recognize contributions to the communities that form the Gavilan Joint Community College District. Each year, three sets of awards are presented, for the communities of Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and San Benito County. In each community an individual, a business and a nonprofit organization are selected, according to the statement. The nomination process and final selection are guided by a representative committee from Gavilan College.
SPIRIT AWARDS: They are set for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Paine’s Restaurant, 421 East St., in Hollister. For more information call (408) 848-4724.
