News Release from: City of Beaverton
2012 SERVICE TO BEAVERTON AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Posted: July 17th, 2012 3:14 PM
- Ava Roasteria, Bev Ecker, Lydia Terjeson, David Michael Slater, Bill Wood and Catalyst Partnerships recognized -
Today, Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle announced the recipients of the 2012 Service to Beaverton Awards, sponsored by the city of Beaverton and the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce, during a luncheon at the PCC Rock Creek Event Center. The annual awards ceremony recognizes individuals and organizations that have made long-term, significant contributions to the Beaverton community. Mayor Doyle and Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce Chair Wendi Eiland presented the awards.
"The Service to Beaverton Awards are just one way that we can recognize the invaluable contributions volunteers make in our community," said Mayor Denny Doyle.
Congratulations to the 2012 Service to Beaverton Award winners:
Business Award: Ava Roasteria
Ava Roasteria is a locally-owned and environmentally-friendly fair trade coffee house and business catering company dedicated to the community of Beaverton. What was once a contaminated brownfield is now a vibrant and safe 'hangout' for teens, students, business people and families at all hours of the day and night in the heart of downtown Beaverton. Long-time Beaverton resident and owner Amy Saberiyan, who is active with both the city and the Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce, was recently appointed to the Chamber's board of directors. Ava's has gone beyond being a simple eating establishment since they opened their doors in 2006. Their vision to be a strong community partner in revitalizing properties, transforming them into peaceful, functional community spaces, has been a tremendous asset to the city.
Individual Award: Bev Ecker
Bev Ecker has a passion for painting, people and preserving the stories of our elders. As the vice president of the Beaverton Historical Society for two years, Ecker helped found the Beaverton History Center on Broadway. As a local artist, and with some help from community volunteers, Ecker painted the mural on the back of the Beaverton History Center in an effort to preserve city history. As co-owner of Hearthstone Retirement Communities, she is dedicated to providing services to the city's aging population. Most recently, as a community collaborator, Ecker spearheaded her family's donation of a formerly run-down home to the Domestic Violence Resource Center to be used as a transitional home for abused women and their children. She rallied volunteers, partners and resources to make the renovation possible. Several women and children in Beaverton will get a fresh start in a safe environment due to Ecker's generosity and determination.
Emerging Leader: Lydia Terjeson
Lydia Terjeson, a junior at Southridge High School, believes in enriching and revitalizing the community in which she lives. Lydia has been active in National Honor Society and serves on the Mayor's Youth Advisory Board. She also volunteers for SOLV (a nonprofit environmental group) and is active in theater, lacrosse and leadership. Lydia has also earned all levels of Girl Scout awards for her efforts to serve youth in the community, most notably, earning a Gold award, the highest honor for Girl Scouts, for creating and directing an art camp called UnMask Your Grief for teens who have lost a family member. She is a peer leader for her school's Breaking Down the Walls program and a Link Crew leader for incoming freshmen. In Lydia's three years of high school, she has recorded more than 530 hours of community service. This year, Lydia was crowned 2012 West Metro Rose Festival Princess, representing Southridge and three other Washington County high schools.
Educator/Teacher Award: David Michael Slater
Beloved as both an Oregon author and educator, David Michael Slater has been teaching up-and-coming writers in the Beaverton School District for 16 years. He is responsible for bringing a hands-on writing education to students of all ages, most notably in teaching two yearlong dual-credit writing courses at Beaverton's Health Science High School in partnership with PSU. Slater has made his name around the state with his hilarious presentations featuring his signature ability to entertain while teaching. He has also been known to do free presentations for charitable organizations and generously donates signed books to causes of all kinds. He is optimistic, but never unrealistic in his encouragement of young writers. After years of dedicated service as a Beaverton educator, Slater moved to Reno, Nevada this summer with his family.
Neighborhood Association Committee (NAC) Member: Bill Wood
Recognized for his work with Chehalem Elementary School in conjunction with the West Beaverton Neighborhood Association Committee (NAC), Wood has been instrumental in the Pages as Pillars Program, which assists children at the school in developing their reading skills through reading mentors, as well as raising funds to purchase books to those who have few or none at home. More than 300 children over the last three years have been served by this program. Through Wood's leadership, the program has seen an increase in funding in excess of 350 percent. Besides the contribution that Wood has made for Pages as Pillars, he has also found time to serve as the NAC's Treasurer, volunteers for the Beaverton Famer's Market Community Booth, and provides his home and garage for the location of the annual West Beaverton NAC garage sale fundraiser for Pages as Pillars.
Organization Award: Catalyst Partnerships
Catalyst Partnerships started in September 2007, as a grass-roots movement consisting of a few families and individuals who assist neighbors in need with home repairs. The most recent Catalyst project involved more than 130 volunteers, who invested more than 650 hours to clean up and completely renovate a mistreated home in Beaverton to be used as a "Safe Haven Home" for abused women and their children. Over the years, Catalyst has grown to partner with local businesses, other non-profits and over 800 hard-working volunteers who have donated thousands of hours to provide home repairs, remodeling and yard clean-up at little or no cost to the homeowners. Catalyst Partnerships inspires people, builds hope, and continually nurtures the Beaverton community by supporting disabled, elderly and under-resourced Beaverton homeowners in need.
Service to Beaverton Award recipients were selected based on the following criteria: implementing and/or assisting in the implementation of outstanding projects and/or services; enriching and revitalizing our community and neighborhoods; and demonstrating responsiveness, creativity and civic values. For more information, please visit www.beavertonoregon.gov.
A special thanks you to Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce, Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, Hall Street Grill and PCC Rock Creek for sponsoring the 2012 Service to Beaverton Awards.
For more information, please visit www.BeavertonOregon.gov/Service.
ABOUT BEAVERTON
Beaverton enjoys one of the most diverse populations among Oregon cities. Most recently, the city was awarded the 2012 Mayors' Climate Protection Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. It was one of just four cities of its size recently recognized as a "Smarter City" energy leader by the Natural Resources Defense Council and one of the 100 Best Places to Live in America by Money magazine. In addition, Beaverton has been named one of the safest cities in the Pacific Northwest for three consecutive years, as one of the best places to raise kids by BusinessWeek magazine, an All-America City finalist, as one of the top 25 Suburbs for Retirement by Forbes.com, one of the 100 Best Walking Cities in America by Prevention magazine, the Recycler of the Year from the Association of Oregon Recyclers, a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, a Bronze Award Bicycle Friendly Community designation by the League of American Bicyclists and as one of the Environmental Protection Agency'
s Green Power Communities, the Beaverton Community Vision program was named Public Involvement Project of the Year--Best Planning Project by the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Cascade Chapter. For more information, please visit www.BeavertonOregon.gov or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofbeaverton.
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