Names of Note: Save Mart aids Camp Taylor. Stanislaus schools honor top employees
Camp Taylor, which serves children with heart disease, will teach them about wholesome eating with a $50,000 grant from Save Mart.
The Modesto-based grocery chain provided the money through its CARES Foundation. The camp is along the San Joaquin River about seven miles southwest of the city.
The grant will help the camp revive its Kitchen Program, which provides nutrition lessons and help in preparing healthy meals and snacks.
“We are grateful to the CARES Foundation for using their power to help create an environment where kids fighting a life-threatening disease are happy,” said Kimberlie Gamino, the camp’s founder and executive director, in a news release.
The nonprofit camp provides recreation and other activities under medical supervision for heart patients and their families. It started in 2002 and is named for Gamino’s son, Taylor, who was born with a heart defect. The camp operated at various locations before settling at the former Stanislaus County Honor Farm.
CARES stands for Community, Arts, Recreation, Education and Sports. Last year, the foundation donated a total of about $450,000 to about 60 local groups in California and Nevada. The chain has 205 stores under the Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx banners.
School awards
Stanislaus County has its nominees for the statewide Classified School Employees of the Year awards.
The program honors custodians, cafeteria workers and other nonteaching employees who help the campuses function. The nominees were announced Wednesday at the Martin G. Petersen Event Center in Modesto.
They are in five categories:
- Child Nutrition: Laura Gordon, food service lead, Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District office
- Office and Technical: Diane Heppner, student records clerk, Robertson Road Elementary School, Modesto
- Para-Educator: Julie John, Roosevelt Junior High School, Modesto
- Support/Security Services: Susan Hanson, campus support, Keyes Union School District office
- Maintenance Operations: Sal Ramirez, lead maintenance and groundskeeper, Hughson Unified School District office
The statewide winners will be announced in April by the California Department of Education.
The other finalists in the 13th annual county event:
- Lucinda Aguiar, site coordinator, Mountain View Middle School, west of Turlock
- Ofelia Aguilar, after-school program leader, Grayson School
- Erika Aguilar, kindergarten para-professional, Mary Lou Dieterich Elementary School, Modesto
- Patricia Aydenian, para-professional/special education/severe, Julien Elementary School, Turlock
- Cindy Azevedo, library technician, Magnolia Elementary School, Oakdale
- Anthony Duran, lead custodian, Walnut Grove Elementary School, Patterson
- Katie Kelley, cafeteria worker, Patricia Kay Beaver Elementary School, Ceres
- Tracy Kirkpatrick, food services staff secretary, Salida Union School District office
- Brian Lee, head custodian, Ustach Middle School, Modesto
- Elizabeth Lyon, ASES program coordinator, Hart-Ransom Elementary School, Modesto
- Sylvia Martinez, para and student supervision assistant, Walter White Elementary School, Ceres
- Kathy Palomino, para-professional, Riverbank High School
- Shelli Ponce, secretary, Fair Oaks Elementary School, Oakdale
- Rhonda Rose, health technician, Walnut Elementary School, Turlock
- Matt Storment, custodian/groundskeeper, Pitman High School, Turlock
- Darlene Tobias, registrar/secretary, Waterford High School
- Melissa Treadwell, campus supervisor, Denair Unified School District office
- Leisa Turner, student events specialist, Stanislaus County Office of Education
- Lupe Valadez, cold food technician, Modesto City Schools
- Miguel Vargas, head custodian, Wilson Elementary School, Modesto
- Kim Webster, credential analyst, Ceres Unified School District office
- Christina Wootan, resource paraprofessional, Alice N. Stroud Elementary School, Empire
- Shelli Yee, staff secretary-technology, Sylvan Union School District office, Modesto.
Leisa Turner received the annual Jane Johnston Civility Award, named for an assistant superintendent at the county Office of Education who died suddenly in 2012.
The awards are sponsored by the county office and the Association of California School Administrators Region VII.
Covenant honoree
Darla Lorenzen, health care administrator at Covenant Village Care Center in Turlock, will receive a national honor from her peers. She was chosen for the Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award by the American College of Health Care Administrators.
Only 7 percent of skilled nursing facilities qualify based on quality of care and compliance with regulations, a news release from Covenant said. Lorenzen will receive the award in New Orleans in May.
And finally ...
Oak Valley Community Bank is promoting Renee Lovitt, vice president/investment representative, to team leader for Oak Valley Investments. She will succeed Alan Wilbur, who will retire in February after leading the group since 2007.
Oak Valley Bancorp, based in Oakdale, has 17 branches in the Central Valley, Sonora and eastern Sierra Nevada.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
