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Chamber of Commerce hosts first ‘Spirit of the Community’ Awards
Thousand Oaks/Westlake Regional Chamber of Commerce fetes local health and safety officers, elected officials and educators in a ceremony that chamber members say is the first of what will become a tradition By John Phane Acorn Editor The Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted its inaugural "Spirit of the Community" celebration at the Hyatt Westlake Village Friday. The evening saw chamber members honor elected officials, health and safety officers and educators for their commitment to the community. Mark Jess, chair of the chamber government relations committee, gave praise and awards to three local legislators, including Republican State Assemblyman Tony Strickland, Republican U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly and Democratic State Assemblywoman Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills. While accepting his Spirit Award, Strickland said that he’d just come from a marathon session in Sacramento as Assembly members were attempting to finish action on a number of bills. Strickland said that he’s working to stop a number of what he termed "job killer" bills that he believes will run businesses out of the state. Additionally, Strickland said that he is keying on attempting to alleviate the hit business owners take in relation to workers’ compensation. "All of you here tonight," Strickland said. "I want to commend you for keeping your businesses in Ventura County, even though the state has become an economic development agency for Arizona and Nevada.
"We’re going to try and do our best to make sure you stay here." He thanked his fellow honorees that evening—the health and safety offices from both Ventura and Los Angeles countries—for their hard work, and for showing the kind of dedication it takes to put their lives on the line so that residents can enjoy the quality of life that is the hallmark of the Conejo/ Las Virgenes area. Strickland said that law enforcement is the No. 1 priority of government. "If we don’t feel safe in our homes and at work, and our children in their schools, we might as well not talk about anything else," Strickland said. "I want to thank them for putting their lives on the line so that we are the safest area in the nation." Westlake Village Mayor Chris Mann honored local law enforcement representatives, Comdr. Keith Parks, Thousand Oaks Police chief, and Capt. Tom Martin of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
"We enjoy living in two of the safest communities of anywhere in the nation and we owe that to your hard work and dedication," Mann said. In answer, Parks said that the law enforcement in the area is a reflection of the community’s investment in their own community. He said that 15 years ago he worked in Thousand Oaks as a patrol sergeant. Parks said that at that time there were only a few employees in the sheriff’s office on a daily basis. Now, he says that he trips over the huge amount of volunteers working in the office. "So many people wanting to volunteer, caring so much about the community," Parks said. "That exemplifies the spirit that makes this area such a wonderful place to live."
Thousand Oaks Mayor Pro Tem Bob Wilson honored local firefighters. Accepting the awards were Ventura Fire Captain Bob Roper and Los Angeles Assistant Fire Chief Mike Sandeman. Roper said, "One thing that I learned as a child is that personal integrity and trust, that once you lose it, you can never gain it back…I want to let you know that trust will never be let down." Two Conejo Valley teachers were honored: one from the Conejo Valley Unified School District, one from the Las Virgenes Unified School District. State Farm Insurance representative Rick Hore, a sponsor and co-host of the evening, talked about what teachers meant to him, reminiscing about two teachers that affected his own life. He said his ninth grade drama teacher told him to quit acting. "And I did." However, Hore said that the most significant teacher in his life was a high school teacher educator who pointed out to him that he had choices to make, not only in school but in life. He told Hore that you get out of life what you put into it. "I’m not sure why at the age of 16 that this would have had such a big effect on me," Hore said. "But it is a principle that I carry with me to this day. "Those two probably have no idea of the impact they had on my life, most teachers don’t know, and that makes it very special for me to be up here this evening to honor the Teacher of the Year." Las Virgenes Unified School District third grade teacher Lorna Maxwell from White Oak School and Margaret Eaton of Conejo Valley Unified School District’s Madrona Elementary School were each recognized by their districts for their outstanding work. The teachers were selected from those named teacher of the month for both school districts over the past nine months. Eaton thanked the chamber for the honor and said that after teaching sixth grade for 24 years; this is her last year of teaching. "It has been a dream all my life to be a teacher," Eaton said. "I thank God for the opportunity and I thank you for honoring me in a job that, I hate to say this, that even if they didn’t pay me, I would love to do." Saturn of Thousand Oaks gave each of the two honorees the use of a new car for a month. |
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