Spirit Awards exemplify individual, business and organizations in the community

by on Feb 17, 2022

For more than 20 years, Gavilan College has bestowed Community Spirit Awards in three categories within three main district locations – Gilroy, Morgan Hill/San Martin, and San Benito County. Following the tradition established last year, the college superintendent/president and members of the Gavilan College Board of Trustees visited each community to present the awards personally.

The Community Spirit Award nominations come from community members, and the Board of Trustees selects the winners.

Gilroy recipients

Organization – Gilroy Rodeo

Individual – Suzanne Bullé

Business – The Neon Exchange

Board members of the nonprofit Gilroy Rodeo received their award out at the rodeo grounds in the Gilroy foothills (l-r) Tammy Stone, Suzann Ynzunza, Jade Katen-Ynzunza, Dr. Kathleen Rose, Jesse Brown, Miss Gilroy Rodeo Madeline Clarkson, Trustees Patricia Mondragón and Rachel Peréz.

The Gilroy Rodeo, a thriving event almost a century ago, stopped operating 1956. A new group led by Erik and Kendra Martin resurrected the organization in 2018. With the theme “Where the past meets the present,” they hope to continue filling the stadium again each summer. The organization donates all profits from the rodeo to youth organizations in the area, including Gilroy FFA Boosters, Aromas Soccer, South Valley Community Church, Angel Warriors for Kids, Gilroy High Cheer, Adams 4-H, PacPoint Athlete Club, Monte Vista Cheer, Live Oak Cheer, Gilroy High Quarterback Club, and Gilroy Foundation: Garlic Festival Relief.

Suzanne Bullé (left) retired several years ago after serving as Executive Assistant to a past Gavilan Superintendent/President. Dr. Kathleen Rose, current Gavilan College Superintendent/President, noted her giving spirit and work in the Gilroy community. Bullé helps out each year at Science Alive and Health Faire at the college, served on the Measure E Facilities Bond Citizens’ Oversight Committee, volunteers at home football games, was a member of the Centennial 2018 Gala Committee, and served two consecutive 2-year terms as a director of Gavilan College’s Educational Foundation.

Trustees Peréz and Mondragón (on the left) at the presentation of the Business Community Spirit Award to Toni Bowles, and Dr. Rose on the right. Bowles renovated an historic downtown building in Gilroy, created The Neon Exchange, and collaborates with the Gilroy community in numerous ways. She sponsors cooking shows, art shows and yoga in the park. She hosted the YMCA and other nonprofits to gather, wrap, and distribute holiday gifts to people in need. The building and business helped launch PitStop Outreach, a nonprofit which currently provides more than 120 evening meals to unhoused individuals in the area.

Morgan Hill/San Martin recipients

Organization – Indian Association of South Santa Clara County Circle of Giving

Individual – Vaishnavi Muralidharan

Business – Bike Therapy

Many of the original team of 10 volunteers that formed Circle of Giving, the humanitarian group started by Poonam Chabra (center) and members of the Indian Association of South Santa Clara County. Circle of Giving started with “Hands Against Hunger” in May 2020, to provide hot meals to people, and worked in partnership with other nonprofits, including Gilroy Compassion Center and Homeless not Hopeless. As the pandemic continued, new programs were added, including free tutoring, collecting and distributing warm clothing the winter, and packing hygiene kits, grocery bags and protective gear for farm workers. The organization, which has grown to more than 200 volunteers, serves Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy and Hollister areas.

Vaishnavi Muralidharan, holding the plaque, is joined by her family (left) and Dr. Rose (right). A junior at the Gilroy Early College Academy (GECA), she is enrolled in both high school and college classes. Her aspiration is to graduate from both next year, earn a high school diploma, an AA degree in Natural Sciences and an AS in Computer programming, and transfer to UCLA. In addition to carrying a +4.0 GPA, she participates in student government and the Youth Action Council of Morgan Hill. She is active with Girl STEMpowerment, a group that holds multiple STEM workshops for kids of all ages, as well as a free math tutoring program for students in grades 3-8. She is also involved in Circle of Giving, and cites her mother’s volunteerism as motivation.

Bike Therapy owners Doug and Jodi Hall, with Dr. Rose, in the showroom of their business. They support the local community and are national cycling advocates. They created and now manage the South County Composite Mountain Bike team, introducing local youth to mountain biking. They offer weekly training sessions, team building activities, host weekly rides, help local schools keep their bicycles in good working order, plan activities for Bike Month, advocate for Morgan Hill initiatives, participate in the bicycle Pedestrian Advocacy Group, promote local tourism, volunteer with the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, and donate to local charity events.

San Benito County recipients

Organization – Sovereign Order of Malta

Individual – Abraham Gonzales

Business – Salazar Painting

Dr. Kathleen Rose, with Trustees Jeanie Wallace, Rachel Peréz, and Irma González, presented the Community Spirit Award to Bill Lee, a member of the Sovereign Order of Malta, a nonprofit, Catholic lay person religious order. The order was created more than 900 years ago to serve the poor and the sick. During the pandemic, the organization procured the materials and recruited the volunteer efforts to build more than 25K hygiene kits, then distributed them to homeless encampments and senior centers in Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey Counties. The materials are funded by member donations and grants. The kits are sorted, assembled and distributed by their members and volunteers.

Dr. Rose and members of the Board of Trustees presented the Individual Community Spirit Award to Abraham Gonzales. He was aware of small businesses who struggled during the pandemic, and he created fundraisers to donate to them. He continues to raise funds working with San Benito barbers. He helped students get back to school, provided free haircuts to migrant students, held a backpack event, and donated school supplies, water bottles, face masks and meal gift certificates.

Julio Salazar, owner of Salazar Painting, is the recipient of the Business Community Spirit Award, and members of the community came out to congratulate him. Pictured (l-r) Dr. Sharma, Joe Paul González, Rachel Peréz, Jeanie Wallace, Irma González, Roxanne Salazar, Julio Salazar, Alexa Salazar, Jennifer González, Gina Cabrera, Rohit Sharma, Lois Locci.

For more than 24 years Salazar’s volunteer work has helped educators, parents and youth to do the right thing, relying on law and best practices. He righted a long-standing wrong on behalf of migrant children. He coaches parents to press for their children’s rights. He works with teenagers to get them involved in fundraisers, events and field trips. Salazar has worked with LULAC and the Federal Migrant Education programs in three schools and served as a regional leader on a statewide committee. His business may be painting, but has also painted elementary schools pro bono. To cap off the year, he became a new US citizen.