Future Foundation to select winners

The Conejo/Las Virgenes Future Foundation (CLVFF) will host the fifth annual CLvFFie (pronounced Cliffy) Awards on Sat., Nov. 12 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

The awards honor individuals and groups in the ConejoLas Virgenes region who’ve contributed to their communities through the arts, education, volunteerism in education, public service, public safety, community service, business/professional and healthcare.

According to Pat Grant, awards chairman, there were more than 45 applications submitted from the area encompassing Calabasas to Newbury Park for this year’s awards.

“The Conejo/Las Virgenes region is very fortunate to have so many dedicated individuals and groups working toward keeping this area an ideal place to live and work,” Grant said. “The caliber of the nominees makes choosing our finalists a very difficult job.”

Finalists have been selected in eight categories. In the arts category, Elmer Ramsey, Robert Rickards and The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company have been nominated.

Gerald Fitzpatrick, Jean Flemion and Bob Miyamoto are the finalists for the education award, while Michelle Larson, Dianne McKay, the Redwood Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association in Thousand Oaks, and Abilities Awareness Program have been chosen as the area’s best in volunteerism in education.

Nominees for their service in the community include Sherrill Hyink, Debbie Sipos and the Hugs From Home program, which operates out of the Goebal Senior Center in Thousand Oaks. According to Grant, women at the center create “cool ties” for soldiers serving in Iraq. The ties are designed to lower the body temperature of soldiers in hot climates.

The business/professional category has three contenders, including Bob Smith BMW, The Cheesecake Factory and Dayle Thomas/Westlake Magazine. For public safety, the “Every 15 Minutes,” program was nominated, along with Jeanne Harrison and her fundraising efforts for a new Westlake Village fire station. The Lost Hills Juvenile Intervention Team has also been nominated.

Los Robles Hospital volunteers have been nominated in the healthcare category, along with Erika Vasko-Mate and Lisa Safaeinili.

While all the finalists will be honored and recognized for their community spirit and dedication to making a difference in their field and the community, one recipient from each category will be selected to receive the award. The winners will be announced at the November event.

Plans are also underway to honor the Hospice of the Conejo with the Doris LaViolette Award. “Since 1977, the caring volunteers of this organization have helped those with life-limiting illnesses to make the most of every hour by offering compassionate care and support to both patients and their families,” said Grant in a press release.

The foundation, in its 34th year, is an apolitical, nonprofit “think tank” organization dedicated to the study of issues important to its service area. The foundation sponsors an annual Youth Congress for high school students; Senior Congress, which will present “Healthy Aging––What You Need to Do!” in 2006; the recent “Financing Our Region’s Future;” and various colloquia. Other forums have addressed affordable housing, community spirit, workforce development and continuing education.

“I encourage everyone interested in the quality of life in the Conejo/Las Virgenes corridor to join us at this special event honoring those who have made a difference,” said Steve Wiley, foundation chair.

Sponsors of the awards event include Countrywide Home Loans, New Millennium Homes and White Zuckerman, Waravsky, Luna, Wolf & Hunt. The public is welcome to attend the event, though space is limited.

For invitations or information about sponsorship opportunities, please call the Future Foundation at (818) 880-1054, or Grant at (805) 495-5960. —Stephanie Bertholdo