The San Jose Mercury News
June 11, 2018
By Rachel Spacek, Freelance Reporter
award recipient, Brian Sawaya, said he volunteers with the Y
to give back to a program that helped him in his elementary
years. Sawaya, 13, volunteers with Project Cornerstone.
Here, he accepts his award at the Saturday, June 9 ceremony.
On Saturday, the YMCA of Silicon Valley pulled out all the stops to thank the over 5,700 volunteers, and specifically recognize 25, for their help delivering services to its 250,000 members across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
The 25 honorees are those individuals that stood out from the crowd, those who went above and beyond in their work for the Y.
The appreciation event was held at Avaya Stadium and recognized both Youth Volunteer of the Year Award recipients and Distinguished Service Award recipients.
Karen Murphy, Vice President at Flextronics and a Y volunteer of 30 years was one of the Distinguished Service Award recipients. Murphy volunteers at the Southwest YMCA in Saratoga.
“The Y members give me so much back,” Murphy said in a statement. “Volunteering at the Y is a break from the challenges of my job. It’s so rewarding.”
Dean Chu, another honoree, former Mayor of Sunnyvale and longtime Y volunteer, learned the importance of serving his community from his father before him. His father volunteered at the Y throughout Chu’s childhood.
Chu’s father served as a camp cabin counselor, parent volunteer and served on the camp committee. Chu began serving the Y at just 9 years old when he volunteered loading Christmas trees at the Y’s annual tree lot.
Throughout his teenage years, Chu served as a volunteer assistant coach for his younger brother’s youth sports team. Today he has played a huge role at the Northwest YMCA and served on the board of managers for the last 12 years.
Chu’s two daughters have benefitted from the Y’s programs. Both Chu and his daughters participated in the adventure guides program, a program to help assist fathers and their children to communicate at an early age. Chu said he hopes his children have seen the volunteering he has done with the Y and hopes they will carry on the family tradition of volunteer work.
A Youth Volunteer of the Year award recipient, Brian Sawaya, said he volunteers with the Y to give back to a program that helped him in his elementary years.
Sawaya, 13, volunteers with Project Cornerstone, a community initiative of the YMCA of Silicon Valley that offers parent engagement programs on the elementary and middle school levels, a bullying prevention program, workshops and school staff trainings.
“Project Cornerstone gave me tools to help me be a better person and up stander, and now I want to give back in return and help others,” Sawaya said in a statement.
After the recognition event, attendees celebrated the award winners at the San Jose Earthquakes game where the Y was chosen as the featured non-profit of the game for their PRIDE Night.
Other 2018 Youth Volunteer of the Year Award recipients include:
• Amber Fu, Palo Alto Family YMCA
• Angela Du, Southwest YMCA
• Aoife Keeney, Central YMCA
• Brian Sawaya, Project Cornerstone
• Carlos Martinez, Mt. Madonna YMCA
• Ella Milliken, El Camino YMCA
• Emily Valenzuela, East Valley YMCA
• Jake Epstein, South Valley YMCA
• Lahela Baker-Kamai, YMCA Camp Campbell
• Luis A. Chavez, Lewis and Joan Platt, East Palo Alto Family YMCA
• Nathan Chiang, Northwest YMCA
The 2018 Distinguished Service Award recipients include:
Bob O’Donnell, Central YMCA
Chuck Elliott, South Valley YMCA
Dean Chu, Northwest YMCA
Denise Cole, Project Cornerstone
Jim Bariteau, East Valley YMCA
John Meaney, El Camino YMCA
Karen Michael, Palo Alto Family YMCA
Karen Murphy, Southwest YMCA
Laura Sellheim, Mt. Madonna YMCA
Dr. Elizabeth Vilardo Morgan, YMCA of Silicon Valley Association
Michael Mashack, Lewis and Joan Platt East Palo Alto Family YMCA
Steve Wagstaffe, Sequoia YMCA
Mary Zinkievich, YMCA Camp Campbell
Read the original story here:
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/06/11/ymca-of-silicon-valley-recognizes-25-outstanding-volunteers/