Community service paid
off nicely for District 4 residents who
were honored by Councilwoman Jean Quan
at her annual local heroes award
ceremony.Five
grants of $1,000 were awarded, to be
used for neighborhood enhancements. The
winners were selected from 25 nominees,
picked by Quan's office and fellow
residents.
"It was inspiring,"
Quan said of the ceremony. "It's always
our favorite event of the year." She
said about 50 people attended.
Winners came from all
around the district.
Jim Ballay, a retired
Maxwell Park grocery clerk and manager,
was long known for his good deeds around
the neighborhood. Last September, he was
beaten to death during an early morning
walk. Mary Butler and Janine Fryk
accepted the award, and will use it to
build a bench in Maxwell Park in honor
of Ballay.
Herb and Adrienne
Bryant were rewarded for their roles as
leaders of the Shepherd Canyon Eco
Pullers. Every other Saturday morning,
they can be found battling weeds in
Shepherd Canyon Park, not only to
beautify it but also to keep the fire
danger down.
Tim Chapman, a member
of the Dimond Improvement Association,
uses his organizational and computer
skills help keep the community
connected. He runs a Web site forum for
the area and works toward making local
government more accessible to the
public.
John Frando and Stella
Lamb are neighbors who have been doing
volunteer work to improve Laurel School.
Lamb also does work on the 35th Street
median, and has been active in the
community for years. Frando is a
newcomer, but has already been very
active and a member of the Laurel
Village community group.
Gene Zahas is an
Oakmore resident, former Rotary Club
president, public school volunteer,
Marcus Foster Foundation Board Member
and is on the city's Budget Advisory
Committee. He was honored for his
dedication to Oakland schools and youth
-- last year, he was actively involved
with four different measures dealing
with schools, libraries and violence
prevention.
In addition to the
awards, Lunar New Year was celebrated,
complete with a lion dance.
"It's Laurel tradition
for the lion to come by all the
merchants for good luck," Quan said. "We
had it come in and give us good luck for
the New Year, too."
