City volunteers – the heatbeat of SP - lauded at dinner event

May 07, 2004
Santa Paula News

You see them everywhere that there is a need and about 125 of those city helpers - whose catchword is “Gratis!” - were honored with a dinner on April 29th at the Santa Paula Community Center.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesYou see them everywhere that there is a need and about 125 of those city helpers - whose catchword is “Gratis!” - were honored with a dinner on April 29th at the Santa Paula Community Center.The program for the event noted that volunteers are “The heartbeat of our Community” and members of the City Council were on hand to extend appreciation to the many volunteers who give so generously of their time to enhance the quality of life for Santa Paula residents.Volunteers work for the Santa Paula California Oil Museum, Police and Recreation departments among many others; volunteerism can also take the form of committee and commission duty without paid compensation, from the Planning Commission to those who served on the Police Audit Oversight Committee.“The dinner was wonderful,” said City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz, who noted that the contributions of volunteers is “incalculable. . .we can’t do what we do as well as we do without volunteers.”And, Bobkiewicz added, Santa Paulans are great representatives of that rare breed, those willing to volunteer on every level of service.“Of all the communities I’ve worked in my career, they’re second to none,” Bobkiewicz noted.Thanking city volunteers is done bi-annually through the Community Center event, according to Community Services Director Brian Yanez.
Citywide hours of volunteers would be hard to put a number on, he noted.Just in the Community Services Department alone, “we have a ton” of time donated by museum docents, coaches, commissioners, committee members and advisory boards.“Some of the things the city provides to the community would not be done without the volunteers, it would be impossible,” said Yanez.Desire is the key to volunteerism and “it’s nice to see that coming from Santa Paula community members. We love our volunteers!”Volunteers make the works of the Appeals Board, CDBG Advisory Committee, Citizens Customer Service Task Force, Commission on Aging, Design Assistance Committee and Community Visioning possible.Volunteers oversee Mobile Home Rent Review, the Housing Authority, Police Reserves, Citizens Patrol and Recreation Commission. California Oil Museum docents help inform and entertain museum visitors, an advisory board studies Economic Development and volunteers supplement various city departments.Fire Department Chaplains counsel victims of disaster and the Las Piedras Park Community Building is possible through volunteer staffing.Each volunteer received a certificate, a “nice one, and a new pin with the city seal on it,” said Yanez. “We also had a raffle and many of the prizes were donated by Frank’s Paint & Hardware. The dinner and recognition is the city’s way of saying thank you to our volunteers.”



Site Search

E-Subscribe

Subscribe

E-SUBSCRIBE
Call 805 525 1890 to receive the entire paper early. $50.00 for one year.

webmaster