One business, individual and organization selected for
recognition in Hollister, Gilroy and Morgan Hill, with awards event
set in each city
The Gavilan College Board of Trustees have announced the
selections for the 2011 Gavilan College Community Spirit Awards.
The honorees are selected from the three districts that are
incorporated in the Gavilan Joint Community College district, and
there will be an award ceremony breakfast in each of the three
districts.
One business, individual and organization selected for recognition in Hollister, Gilroy and Morgan Hill, with awards event set in each city
The Gavilan College Board of Trustees have announced the selections for the 2011 Gavilan College Community Spirit Awards. The honorees are selected from the three districts that are incorporated in the Gavilan Joint Community College district, and there will be an award ceremony breakfast in each of the three districts.
San Benito County Business – California Mutual Insurance
This company and its staff has really gotten what “serving your community” is all about, according to the nomination form. They allow their staff to get involved with local nonprofits and their committees during work hours. CMI has provided to a lot of local nonprofits in many ways such offering meeting room space, raffle prizes, snacks, sponsorships and staff time for the SBC Rodeo, Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and Foundation, Cattlewomen’s Association, 4-H, United Way, Hollister Rotary, YMCA, SBC Chamber of Commerce, Veterans Parade and the Hollister Downtown Association.
Their most recent plus is the development of their website to include a “Deal of the month” featuring local businesses and also a calendar that includes local public events. They step outside the box to find creative ways to help locals. They lead healthy walks in February that included a weekly walk downtown and provided everyone with complimentary flashlights and bottles of water. California Mutual Insurance is being nominated for their outstanding efforts to make SBC a better place to live, work and play.
San Benito County Individual – Gordon Machado
Machado has been a jaycee, a city councilman, planning commissioner and one of the founding members of the Hollister Downtown Association. He also was a member of the Measure A committee. He is on the Hazel Hawkins Hospital board of trustees, the Hollister airport commission, a New Urbanism committee member and is president of the Hollister Downtown Association, and serves on both the design committee and economic restructuring committee. Gordon has had a tremendous impact on San Benito County over the years.
San Benito County Organization – Community Foundation For San Benito
This organization is being recognized for their considerable efforts to make San Benito County an even better place to live. They do this in several ways. They started a campaign to raise awareness to SBC residents and businesses to give where you work and live and why it is important. They have achieved this through their development of their “Friends of the Community Foundation for SBC” and “Give San Benito,” both which allow one to donate any amount to CF and have it ear marked to go towards ones particular interest such as community enhancement, health and social services, agriculture, arts and culture, which in turn is donated to the local nonprofits to achieve their particular goals.
They have developed a website to further the education of their mission and they included a public event calendar to help encourage people to support their local events. They also launched a “Community Vision” and asked for the public “to share your vision” on what they want for their community via meetings, e-mails or phone calls. Their latest outreach are the banners in downtown Hollister that furthers their efforts to raise “local donations” awareness. This organization, through the considerable efforts of a great leader and staff along with many volunteers, has really made a difference in San Benito County.
The awards will be given out at the Hollister Downtown Association quarterly breakfast, Oct. 26, at 7:30 a.m., at The Vault in Hollister.
The awards were created in 1999 through Board Resolution 739, in order to promote and recognize service to the communities Gavilan College serves. All members of the community are invited to submit nominations for individuals, businesses, and organizations deserving of recognition. A nominee who is not selected may be renominated for the next year. For nomination forms and more information, go to www.gavilan.edu/pio or call 408-848-4724.
