Napa Chamber Foundation and Mechanics Bank Announce the 2008 Heroes in our Community.

The Napa Chamber Foundation and Mechanics Bank announced on the Chamber’s Friday Radio Show, Today in the Wine Country on 1440AM, the winners and finalists in the 2008 Napa Valley Community Awards, “Celebrating Community” event. The program, to be held May 20 at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa, recognizes local community leaders, individuals and businesses for their outstanding leadership, contributions and achievements toward the betterment of the communities of Napa Valley.

Betty Rhodes was a clear choice by the committee to honor her with the Outstanding Community Booster of the Year. She has worked very hard supporting Napa and Napa County citizens by volunteering with the Visitors Bureau, Copia, Friends of the River and the Napa Valley Wine Auction. “But that is not all,” wrote her nominator, “Betty has made it a mission to make sure that seniors are protected from would be predators who are paid to care for them. She is outraged that in a society that makes it mandatory to get licenses for cutting hair, anyone off the street can work for one of the most vulnerable segments of our society without as much as a background check. Betty was appointed and served on the Napa County Commission on Aging and helped organize the first Senior Forum at The Meadows and has continued to work on this event to relay important information to the vast senior population of Napa County. All of this, she has done in the last 7 years of her life, a time where most people either have to quit or choose to let it go. Not Betty, she is always there to help!”

Outstanding Healthcare Professionals of the Year are Bruce McCall, PT and Glenn Hughes, PT of Napa Valley Physical Therapy. Both professionals have been providing there service “pro bono” to local high school athletes for over 30 years. During this time, they have been on the sidelines for both Napa and Vintage High School football games acting as the athletic trainers and working hard to prevent injuries by taping ankles, knees and hands. They have mentored countless high school athletes and students. Referred to as the “Dynamic Duo of Sports Medicine” in a December 2006 Napa Valley Register article, Glenn Hughes was quoted, “It really comes back to working with the athletes and the kids. ... Both Bruce’s wife (Peg) and my wife (Jan) understand that we enjoy athletics. We were both athletes in our younger days. We just kind of carry that on. The hours don’t make any difference. It’s a community service, and any way we can give back to the community is a nice thing to do.”

Outstanding Public Safety Person of the Year is Deputy John Hallman of the Napa Sheriff’s Department. “Deputy Hallman celebrates the splendor of our community – he recognizes the value and importance of community oriented policing,” write his nominator. “His relationships with community representatives have led to numerous innovative solutions to problems that might have gone unattended. He has developed many Neighborhood Watch groups and helped one group catch a habitual prowler. He is a visionary; he inspires others to believe in themselves as evidenced by his partnering with numerous youth organizations.”

Outstanding Napa Valley College Student of the Year is Shontaine Brayton. “She is bright, caring, giving, despite the major difficulties she has had to overcome,” writes her nominator. “Shontaine devotes her life to helping others, while working hard to improve the quality of life for herself and her children.” Shontaine volunteers her time to many groups and completed 40 hours of training for the Volunteer Center, in order to serve on the Elder Abuse Protection Services and the Sexual Assault Victim Services hot lines. She has completed the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team Training) and is available to assist in the event of a natural disaster in our community. Shontaine is also active in her children’s classrooms as a room parent and volunteer in the Family Faculty Club.

Jackie Richmond of Wine Country Concierge earns the Outstanding Hospitality/Tourism Award for 2008. Jackie promotes the Napa Valley to the world through her numerous awards for Best Travel Agent by Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Jackie believes that Napa Valley’s status as an agricultural preserve is very important. “ …if we do not protect our preserve status, we will destroy the very thing that has made us popular. She promotes responsible tourism,” writes her nominator.

Frances Ortiz-Chavez is named the Outstanding Nonprofit Employee of the Year for her position as Coordinator of Program of Spirit of Unity in Napa’s Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center. She manages more than 30 public and nonprofit agencies in collaboration to deliver much needed health and human services to the Latino population of Napa. Her nominator writes, “Her passion, devotion to cause, to bring about positive, systematic change through education, empowerment and collaboration has produced positive results in the lives of thousands of Spanish speaking county residents.”

The Teacher of Year awarded through the Napa County Office of Education will be announced at the May 20^th event. All of the nominees will attend the event.

There are 10 organizations competing for the title of Outstanding Nonprofit Organization of the Year. The nominees are American Cancer Society; Big Brothers Big Sisters; Boys and Girls Club of Napa Valley; Community Projects; Cope Family Center; Cub Scouts – Den 4; Leadership Napa Valley; NEWS (Napa Emergency Women’s Services); PAWS for Healing; and Wolfe Center. The winner will be announced at the luncheon on May 20^th.

A special "Living Legend" award will be presented to Robert Mondavi for his outstanding contributions to making the Napa Valley a better place. The Mondavi’s will attend to accept the award.

“It is well documented that Mr. Mondavi was one of the pioneers that helped put Napa Valley on the map as a world class wine growing region,” says Chamber Foundation Board member Jeff Gerlomes. “While the Paris Tasting may stand out as the exact moment in time that the Valley was recognized, Mr. Mondavi was one of the foot soldiers that tirelessly drove the point home. If his contribution to the Napa Valley stopped there, we could be forever grateful…but the wine was just the beginning.”

Over 50 nominations were received and judged by a panel of community leaders. The event is presented as a partnership between the Napa Chamber Foundation and Mechanics Bank. All award winners and nominees will be honored at the luncheon on May 20^th at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa. Tickets for the event are $55 per person and may be purchased by phoning (707) 226-7455 to make a reservation.