Hayward to Honor Titans of Public Service
Pioneers in affordable/senior housing, animal services headline 38th annual Volunteer Recognition & Awards Dinner
(HAYWARD, CA) – Hayward public service organizations will gather on Tuesday, October 6 under the Grand White Tent at St. Rose Hospital, to celebrate the generosity, vision and civic pride of another spate of exceptional Hayward volunteers, led by distinguished award winners Ilene Weinreb, Jean Gocker and Steve Sapontzis, Obray Van Buren and Kay Thomas.
Since the dinner’s 1977 inception, more than 500 local volunteers have been honored for their valuable contributions to the Hayward community. The event has become a veritable “Who’s Who” of the civically engaged, brought together under the banner of service to Hayward.
Weinreb, the first woman to be elected mayor of Hayward, is recognized as a visionary in the field of affordable housing and senior housing, raising the issue long before most people in the region foresaw an impending crisis. Weinreb will receive the Gail Steele Lifetime Achievement Award. The event will also pay tribute to Jean Gocker and Steve Sapontzis, a husband-and-wife team that has worked tirelessly behind the scenes for decades to support and expand the Hayward Animal Shelter and its services. Fittingly, Gocker and Sapontzis will receive the John N. Pappas Humanitarian Award.
“It’s impossible to look at the extraordinary civic contributions of each of this year’s winners and not come away both humbled and inspired,” said City spokesperson Frank Holland. “This year’s honorees are defined not only
by their incredible achievements, but also by their vision, passion and dedication.”
In addition to the five distinguished award winners, the event will honor 39 “Hearts of Hayward,” volunteers
who have made a significant and indelible mark on the community with hundreds of hours of community service and their unqualified commitment to the City and its residents.
What: Hayward Volunteer Recognition & Awards Dinner
When: Tuesday, October 6, 2015 6:00 p.m.
Where: St. Rose Hospital’s Grand White Tent, 27200 Calaroga Ave. Hayward CA 94544
Details: Call Ginny DeMartini at (510) 259-1097
Download the full 2015 Volunteer Dinner Press Release.
