FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2012
MEDIA CONTACTS
Maria Lee, Community Relations, maria.lee@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-2054
Rob McNair-Huff, Community Relations, robert.mcnair-huff@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5054
Mayor Marilyn Strickland and the City Council will recognize Tacoma’s top volunteers this year – six individuals and three groups – during the 26th annual City of Destiny Awards at 7 p.m. on May 8. This event, which is free and open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the volunteer experience, will be held at the Stadium High School Auditorium, 111 N. E St.
This year’s City of Destiny Award recipients are:
Adult Leadership
Kyoung Mo Im
The Foster Grandparent Program of Pierce and Thurston Counties, sponsored by Catholic Community Services, serves hundreds of local at-risk youth with special needs. Foster grandparent volunteers are 55 or older. They visit schools, childcare facilities, youth centers and juvenile detention centers, and they serve as positive role models, mentors and friends to our local children. Kyoung Mo Im is a foster grandparent volunteer and he is just shy of 80 years old.
Adult Sustained Service
Larry and Lynnette Scheidt
Larry and Lynnette Scheidt have lived in Tacoma’s Eastside neighborhood for over 40 years, taking on community projects large and small. Two of their more recent projects have involved the transformation of McKinley Park and Rogers Park. These spaces were, at one point, filled with invasive species and illicit activity, considered to be dangerous, and generally avoided by residents. Now, the community is proud of these spaces.
Youth Leadership
Amanda Webster
Amanda Webster is a member of Youth Leading Change, sponsored by Safe Streets, a prominent group of young people who work on projects to improve our local community. Members build leadership, public speaking, team building, goal setting and project management skills, as they tackle important societal issues. She also involves herself with a number of other volunteer activities to improve our community.
Youth Service
Megan Scheidt
For the past several years, our local community has watched as Megan Scheidt devoted hundreds upon hundreds of hours of her time to causes that are close to her heart. From helping to clean up the streets and parks on Tacoma's Eastside, to singlehandedly launching a large-scale holiday toy drive benefiting more than 300 local families, Megan's dedication to the wellbeing of those in our community is clear.
Neighborhood Group or Community Partnership
Barangay Community Services of Tacoma
Filipino-Americans make up a large part of the Asian-American population in the state of Washington. They are also the fourth largest Asian-American ethnic group in the United States. Barangay (buh-rung-gúy) Community Services of Tacoma is comprised of Filipino-American volunteers who reach out to needy local residents of all ages, ethnicities and life situations by showing them how to access vital community resources, sharing aspects of Filipino-American culture with them and more.
Corporation or Business
BECU
BECU is the largest credit union in Washington State, with more than 750,000 members. It’s one of the top five financial co-ops in the U.S. BECU is governed by a volunteer board of directors and their commitment to serving their members extends to doing what’s right for them in the communities where they live. For many years, BECU has been dedicated to improving lives through its community outreach.
Employee or Union Group
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 483
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 483 started in 1906 with one contract and 22 workers. They’ve grown since then to have 28 contracts and over 1,200 workers who handle everything from electric power generation and fiber optic communication to the delivery of fresh water and treatment of waste water. But there’s more to IBEW Local 483 than meets the eye. They are also deeply involved in our local community, and they volunteer to work behind the scenes to make Tacoma a better place.
Environmental Sustainability
Rob Girvin
As a young Boy Scout, Rob Girvin and his friends found a rare grove of tamarack trees and each took home seeds found inside the small cones to plant in their yards. His tree was the only one to survive and it grew to a height of 40 feet. Thirty years later, he is still nurturing trees, but now he is working to restore the health of an urban forest in his neighborhood park, Garfield Park.
Each award winner or winning group will receive a colorful glass sculpture crafted by students in the Hilltop Artists in Residence Program.
The annual City of Destiny Awards event is also covered by TV Tacoma and broadcast on both the Click! Cable TV and Comcast Cable systems. On Click!, TV Tacoma can be seen on Channel 12 within Tacoma City limits and in Pierce County, with the exception of University Place, where TV Tacoma can be found on Channel 21. On Comcast, TV Tacoma can be seen on Channel 12 within Tacoma City limits and on Channel 21 in Pierce County. TV Tacoma is not on the Comcast system in University Place, but is accessible anywhere via the Internet.
The City of Destiny Awards ceremony is supported by local businesses and organizations, including Click! Cable TV and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 23, the event’s largest sponsors.
Background
Since 1987, the City of Tacoma has honored over 200 outstanding volunteers through its City of Destiny Awards program. The Citizens Recognition Committee of individuals appointed by the City Council selects the winners. Nominees must have:
• Volunteered time and energy, not money.
• Volunteered without financial compensation for their work.
• Volunteered within Tacoma’s city limits.
• Volunteered within the past 12 months in projects described for Leadership and Group categories.
For more information, visit cityoftacoma.org/DestinyAwards.
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