HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3.1 2008 Citizen/Young Citiz of Year~~ f
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CITY CLERK
File # ^^b /^~-Q~
AGENDA STATEMENT
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: February 17, 2009
SUBJECT:
ATTACHMENTS:
RECOMM/ ]~~~)A~IO
FINANCIAL STATE T:
2008 Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year Nominations
Report Prepared by Caroline Soto, City Clerk
Nomination Forms Submitted
Present Certificates of Recognition to Nominees
None
DESCRIPTION: Each year, the City of Dublin recognizes citizens who have made a
significant contribution toward enhancing the quality of life for residents of Dublin during the past year.
One will be chosen as Citizen of the Year and one will be selected as Young Citizen of the Year. Vice
Mayor Hildenbrand and Councilmember Hart currently serve as the Citizens and Organization of the Year
Committee. Immediately upon the close of the nomination period (nominations ended February 3), the
Committee arranged for the judging to be done by impartial individuals or organizations outside the City
of Dublin.
The winning Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year will be announced at the City's "Dublin Volunteers -
Our Shining Stars" event being held on Friday, February 20, 2009, at the Dublin Senior Center. In
addition, the winners' names will be engraved on the perpetual plaque which hangs just inside the Council
Chambers.
The nominees for Young Citizen of the Year are: Brian Del Rosario and Joey Van Loon.
The nominees for Citizen of the Year are: Ted Hoffman, Jr., Fawn Holman, and John Zukoski.
The nominees were invited to attend this City Council meeting and invitations have been extended for
them to attend the Volunteer Recognition event on February 20th.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Mayor present each nominee with a Certificate of Recognition for being
nominated as Dublin's 2008 Citizen or Young Citizen of the Year.
COPY TO: Nominees
Page 1 of 1
ITEM NO. •
G:\CC-MTGS\2009 cc mtgs\2009 -qtr 1\02-Feb\02-17-09\as-citizens of the year.doc
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DUBLIN HIGH SCHOOL
8151 Village Parkway, Dublin, CA 94568 (925) 833-3300
October 27, 2008
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to take this opportunity to write a letter of recommendation on behalf of Brian
Del Rosario. During the two years that I have had the privilege to have known Brian, I
have become very impressed with him.
Brian demonstrates true leadership in both word and deed by the way he lives his life. He
is widely respected by both students and staff due to his work ethic and friendliness.
Beyond his personal attributes, Brian also has many noteworthy accomplishments.
Academically, Brian is taking the most rigorous courses Dublin High has to offer. He has
excelled in his four AP classes and multiple Honors classes, earning a cumulative 3.57
GPA but more impressively recording a 4.0 in the second semester of his junior year.
Athletically, Brian has made numerous contributions during his three years on the Varsity
Boys' Soccer team, including team MVP honors and All-League recognition.
As a member of the Dublin High Leadership class and specifically through his service as
this year's Senior Class President, he has been instrumental in planning and
implementing virtually all of the activities on campus this year. These activities have
been highly successful due to the high level of dedication, passion, dependability, and
creativity he has demonstrated. Brian has also been involved on our campus as an officer
for Interact, and is a member of the Mathematics Club, Amnesty International, and CSF.
Outside of the school and the city, Brian has been a volunteer for the St. Raymond's
Youth Ministry program as well as its Childrens' Bible Camp. Brian has also volunteered
his time as a coach and a referee for the Dublin United Soccer League, and has done
service projects on behalf of the American Cancer Society. In addition, Brian is an
accomplished drummer who has performed with several bands over the years.
I am confident that due to Brian's personal attributes and experience, that he will be
successful in college and all of his future endeavors. I am pleased to write him a letter of
recommendation.
Sincerely,
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Tim Sbranti
Activities Director/Teacher/Coach
Dublin High School
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ATTACHMEN
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DUBLIN HIGH SCHOOL
8151 Village Parkway, Dublin, CA 94568
January 8, 2009
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to take this opportunity to write a letter of recommendation on behalf of Joey Van Loon.
During the four years that I have had the privilege to serve as Joey's Leadership advisor and
basketball coach, I have become very impressed with him.
Joey has a tremendous amount of moral character, demonstrating true leadership in both word
and deed by the way he lives his life. He has become a role model that is widely respected by
both students and staff due to his work ethic, friendliness, and honesty.
Beyond his personal attributes, Joey also has many noteworthy accomplishments. He has been
instrumental in planning and implementing virtually all activities on campus for the past two
years, consistently demonstrating a high level of dedication, passion, dependability, and
creativity. Due to his leadership and his role as both a Gael Force and Rally Commissioner, he
has empowered and involved more students than ever, leading to very successful campus
activities and soaring pride and school spirit.
In addition, Joey was also appointed by the Dublin City Council to serve as the Student
Commissioner to the City of Dublin's Parks and Community Services Commission, and was also
appointed to the city's Youth Advisory Council. As the Mayor for the city of Dublin, I can
personally attest to the fact that he is doing an excellent job representing the city's 10,000
students on important matters related to providing them adequate services. Joey's excellent work
on the Parks Commission is to be expected based upon his years of employment with the city as a
youth sports instructor, lifeguard, and referee.
Joey has also been an important contributor to the Dublin High boys' varsity basketball team. His
tireless dedication to the team is an inspiration for the entire program. Joey has also played a vital
role in his church youth group as well as several campus organizations. He has been able to
accomplish all of this despite taking one of the most rigorous college-prep courses Dublin High
has to offer.
I am confident that due to Joey's valuable experiences and personal attributes, that he will be very
successful in college and in all of his future endeavors in life. I ain pleased to write him a letter of
recommendation.
Sincerely,
Tim Sbranti
Activities Director/Teacher/Coach, Dublin High School
Mayor, City of Dublin
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jy 7
Dublin Partners in Education
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Dublin Partners In Education
January 16, 2009
Tim Sbranti, Mayor
City of Dublin
100 Civic Plaza
Dublin, CA 94568
Dear Mayor and City Council members,
PO Box 2307
Dublin, CA 94568
925.828.2551 X 8024
925.803.9746 fax
Email: dpieC~dublin.kl2.ca.us
website: www.clublin.{z12.ca.us
It is with great pleasure and much enthusiasm that I nominate Mr. Ted Hof&nan, Jr. for Dublin Citizen of
the Year! Ted is an active member of the Board of Directors for Dublin Partners in Education. He
embodies the spirit of a Positive Attitude and Cooperation, hallmarks of Dublin Pride and DPIE
Partnership. His can-do energy and smile have supported DPIE this past yeaz as much as his generous
financial support. Since DPIE raises money for all the schools in Dublin, Ted's leadership has directly
benefited each and every student within the Dublin Unified School District.
In addition to being a dedicated Board member, Ted is responsible for one of DPIE's favorite programs
each yeaz. Dublin students really look forward to the DPIE Summer Bowling Program. Just before school
is out for the summer, Ted prints off bowling cards that allow any student to bowl one free game with shoes
every day during the summer. Last year, 4,619 free. games were bowled by Dublin students. Ted told me
once that he puts this program together because our youth in Dublin need activities in the summertime and
the program is one thing he can do to give them something safe and fun to do. This embodies Giving,
another characteristic of Dublin Pride. What a great example of one person making a difference!
Ted is also an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, a real supporter of the Business community in
Dublin. His business, Earl Anthony's Bowl, is the location for the Chamber's bowling tournament each
year. Ted sponsored the DPIE team in this tournament this year and we had a great time teambuilding
around who was the worst bowler in the group. Ted loves golf, too; as a member of DPIE's golf committee,
he helps make that event successful. Ted also is on the Chamber's Golf Committee, and was its Chairman
for a number of years. We have heard that Ted is great at getting other golfers to contribute to these events
with little or no arm-twisting. His spirit of Doing One's Best gets people to give what they can.
Rotary is lucky to have Ted as a member of its organization, too. Ted can be found at most Rotary meetings
and events and insiders say that it isn't just because of the great food. He genuinely feels that being part of
the community means participating in community organizations.
Thank you for taking our great Board Member into consideration for Citizen of the Year! We hope that you
will agree, Ted is one man whose "integrity in action" makes Dublin a better community for all of us.
Sin - ~
GC
Mary Beth Phi11i s, PhD
Executive Director, Dublin Partners in Education
DPIE is a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit organization
All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. Federal Tax ID 94-3207780
Dublin Partners in Education is anon-profit foundation dedicated to fostering
mutually beneficial business and education partnerships in order to
maximize community resources for the students of the Dublin Unified Schoo( District.
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01/27/2009 23:07 5106205656 DEPT OF HEALTH SRVCS PAGE 02/02
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It is our honor to nominate Fawn Hobnan+for the,l7ublin Citizen of the Rear Award.
As a longtime Dublin resident, Fawn's cox~tribut4ons ~a~zd-impact ao our community reflect
all of the 10 Dublin Pride - Integrity in Action Program Characteristics. Over the years,
she has wlunteered for nunxerous orgaiu~atians, fundraisers, school functions, and other
activities designed to make Dublin a. better place,l3ut her contributions to the Dublin
community in Zoos were truly exceptional..
Fawn retired early as City Clerk for the City of DuY~lia in 2008 because of a medical
condition; lr~t that did not stc±p Fawn from doing tlxe communuty service work that she so
loves. Usually, when people retire, they plan long vacations to visit fr%ends and family, or
see faraway lands, or spend a lot of time in a hanunoclc reading, But not Fawn. She was
determined to continue in her role as an active Dublin volutateer.
Fawn workedtirelessly-for the Dublin.Partr'lers in Education (DYIl/), a.local Dublizt non-
profit organization that bas provided financial. sugport to Aublin schools for many years.
Fawn helped plan and manage DP1E'funtlraisiz~g~events,.wor~i~'tg so hard t]tat DPIE
eventually persuaded her to join their Board-of Directors. With Fawn's help, DPIE
contributed $54,400.00 zn I;ducatio~t Cnant.t~.wards-alone to Our Dublin schools in 2008.
With the 2008 state budget crisis siphoning sigatifica.~t education funds from our schools,
Dublin residents bad the foresight to began discussing; how to augment the loss of
funding, at~d considered a local bond measure. Tfie'difftczilt part would be that the school
boxed would need asuper-majority vote (e.g.; 66-6+~a sugport votes) in order to pass.
Fawn had past experience inhelping to pass ~ l?~~b1irA.school bond several years earlier,
and she began again tlrelessIy worlraing on the 2008 ~csmpaighrknowrt as IVleasure I..
Fawn, made phone calls, got endorsements, dropped:a-6Flawn sxgcts, raised money,
planned and organized NFeasure L meetings arad publicity events, and much more. The
Dublin school bozzd issue wr~s passed by a supe"mx~a~ority:of L.ubliri residents in
November 2008, and will help Dublin schools coz~tir~ue to provide duality education and
weather the state budget crisis (afld Foss: of. education funding).; .;
With thoughtful consideration Af aLl~that Fawn has done:for.the City of Dubliua and our
Dublin Schools in 2408 (and the marry years preaedi~g ~OfiB), Fawn has epitomized the
10 Dublin charactexlstics - Y~esponsibility;-~,respeotf~~ess cariixg, giving,. positive
attitude, trustworthiness, coope_*atiot~, doing one's 'nesf.:honesty,,and sew discipline,
Fawn is truly a wonderful Cit3zez~. of the~Xeat caridi3a~':and ii-is.our honor to recognize
her as such. _ . ~~'
Thank you. _
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The City of Dublin has a clear and obvious choice for the 2008 Citizen of the Year Award, and that
person is John M. Zukoski. I feel privileged to know John not just as a friend, but also as Dublin's
unofficial marketing director and city reporter. His tireless volunteer efforts to promote Dublin and keep
its residents well informed about the many exciting developments throughout the city earn John M.
Zukoski my nomination as Citizen of the Year.
Most Dublin residents know John from his Around Dublin Blog (http://www.arounddublinblog.com) and
his recent run for City Council. John conducted an honorable campaign, placing third with nearly 4,000
votes. Though only two seats were available, a third place finish did not diminish John's dedication to
Dublin and its residents at all. He continues to spend countless hours poring over City Staff reports,
attending City Council and Planning Commission meetings regularly, and documenting in layperson
terms key decisions and their ramifications on his biog. John always writes in a neutral, yet upbeat,
voice, so his readers may make up their own minds, especially on the controversial issues. Of equal
importance is the public forum John's blog provides to his readers. Dublin residents now have a
convenient and highly visible place to share their opinions on local issues. John's hard work has
opened up city business to a level of public scrutiny never before seen and excited a growing
constituency, most of whom have been politically unengaged, in this emerald city of Northern
California. By generously donating his considerable time and energy, John has produced a novel and
invigorating foundation for an information exchange network where all residents can freely contribute
and discuss their ideas and perspectives for the betterment of Dublin's future. At a time when local
press coverage is almost non-existent as the newspaper industry falters, the in-depth reporting and
analysis John consistently delivers on all the popular issues affecting his community have become
increasingly vital. John's efforts have inspired his readers to get involved. Moved by his perpetual
optimism, we yearn to see the high quality growth and expansion that is within Dublin's reach. The City
of Dublin is blessed to have the Around Dublin Blog, a comprehensive and accessible information
resource that is truly unique to Dublin, CA.
In addition to publishing the Around Dublin Blog, John is an active member of the Dublin Rotary Club
who regularly volunteers at the Dublin Senior Center and earned high marks for coordinating an event
that honored Bay Area World War II veterans. He serves on the local advisory board for Camp Galileo,
an educational service program that helps kids discover their passion for learning. He is also on the
Board of Directors for the Home Owners Association of the Terraces at Dublin Ranch Villages,
safeguarding the fiduciary interests of over 1,000 residents. On top of all these worthy community
services, John is a senior manager at Robert Half International, Inc., where he excels at meeting hard
deadlines for complex international payroll and reporting projects that cross multiple time zones. What
speaks most to me about John are not his extraordinary abilities but his passion to turn Dublin into a
showcase city of the East Bay. I applaud John's aspirations to have our local businesses thrive, to
retain current residents while attracting new ones to Dublin, and to see our beloved Dublin Unified
School District achieve the reputation of being second to none in the Bay Area.
Finally, what is arguably John's greatest asset is his gift as a listener. During his campaign, I met with
him to discuss his reasons for running in the City Council election and his priorities for Dublin. I spoke
from my perspective as a parent about my hopes and concerns for Dublin and what I would like my
baby son's experience to be as he goes through Dublin's public school system. John listened with full
attention, not once interrupting my train of thought. After I said my peace, John responded thoughtfully
and thoroughly to each and every point I had brought up. He had nothing but gracious compliments for
the mayor and councilmembers, noting that their jobs are challenging as they do what they feel is best
for Dublin. The fact that John campaigned without once criticizing city leaders speaks volumes about
his character. Ever since that first meeting, my family and I have been enthusiastic supporters of John.
He is not just a friend to my family; he is a friend to all of Dublin. I have no doubt that John's dedication
to our community will continue for years to come, but in 2008, his hard work, involvement in the
community, and exemplary personal attributes entitle him to be named Dublin's Citizen of the Year.
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