Congratulations to Some Special People

As most of you know, I’m a member of the board of directors of the CV Chamber of Commerce. In fact, I’m the secretary.

Every year the Chamber holds a recognition banquet when local members are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the community. In fact, back in 2010 CV Weekly was recognized as business of the year – an honor I still treasure. Over the years, other awardees have included Arick Gevorkian, man of the year (2018), Julie Dowse, volunteer of the year (2013) and Lynn Miyamoto, woman of the year (2017). When looking at the list of awardees, I can’t help but be humbled by the work they’ve done for the betterment of the Crescenta Valley.

After a cancellation of the banquet in 2020 due to (you guessed it) the pandemic, the CV Chamber is having its Recognition Banquet on Thursday, Dec. 9. As always, the list of awardees is very impressive but none stands out to me as much as Mary O’Keefe, this year’s recipient of the prestigious Don Carpenter Special Award.

The Don Carpenter Special Award is not given out in recognition of the previous year of service, but in recognition of decades of community service. It is awarded on select occasions to select people. Mary joins only a few other awardees including Chris Waldheim, Jean Maluccio and Joe Kroening. As anyone knows who reads the CV Weekly, Mary is our lead reporter and is deeply involved with so many community organizations including the CV Fire Safe Council and Prom Plus, and is a co-founder of the Fire House youth center. She was active with PTA and Girl Scouts and is still involved with St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church. It is no small statement to say that her involvement with and support of the Crescenta Valley Weekly has ensured its ongoing success.

The Chamber of Commerce Recognition Banquet is on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 120 E. Colorado St. in Glendale. Tickets are $65; visit the chamber website at https://www.crescentavalleychamber.org/ to make reservations and let them know of your dinner choice.

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         Another shout-out is given to my son Danny, who celebrated his 29^th birthday yesterday, Dec. 1.

It seems like yesterday when I headed off to Adventist Health – Glendale to deliver this boy, our fourth son, who has grown into an exceptional man. He has a kind heart and a strong back and is willing to help anyone with anything. He can assemble just about anything and has pitched in – sometimes at the last minute – with many organizations including Prom Plus, which I’m part of, and the Fire House youth center. His time in the Air Force solidified his known strengths and brought to light others.

As he prepares for fatherhood (my granddaughter is due to arrive in February) I know that he will excel and she will be a lucky little girl to call him Daddy.