On Jan. 22, the Santa Maria City Recreation and Parks department held its Meritorious Community Service Awards dinner at the Abel Maldonado Youth Center in Santa Maria.
According to Dennis Smitherman, recreation supervisor with the city, the awards, which are handed out every two years, recognize community members who have a history of helping improve the recreation and leisure services of Santa Maria.
The recipients were Gonzalo “Gonzo” Garcia, a volunteer youth soccer coach who has been coaching for more than 20 years. According to his bio, Garcia moved to Santa Maria and began coaching in the Santa Maria Valley Youth Soccer Association in 1987. In more than 20 years, he’s never charged for his coaching.
Dorothy Rebenstorf has served as the travel coordinator for the Santa Maria Valley Senior Club, also for more than 20 years. Thanks to her time and effort, thousands of Santa Maria seniors have had the opportunity to explore the world.
Greg Sarkisian has coached track and field and cross-country for St. Joseph High School for 31 and 28 years, respectively. During that time, he’s coached 17 individual CIF champions and led his team to nine league championships in track and field. In cross-country, his athletes won five league titles and made seven state championship appearances.
“The awards are hosted by the People for Leisure and Youth (PLAY), a nonprofit agency that helps support the recreation and leisure services through the Recreation and Parks department,” Smitherman added. m
Contributor Nicholas Walter wrote this week’s Community Corner. Send comments or ideas for consideration to the executive editor at rmiller@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 5, 2009.