Award Winners

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Lisa Gaudio has demonstrated great accountability as a Strategic Planning Committee member for the last four years. She helps the BCHD Board with the development of the District’s strategic plan and assists in formulating and fulfilling its vision, mission, core values, and goals.

I started volunteering with BCHD during COVID. It was such an enormous public health challenge, and I wanted a way to contribute to the community and help people. And I did several COVID clinics, and at those clinics, I was able to see first-hand how BCHD was able to pivot its activities and its personnel to respond to a very real crisis and do so in a meaningful and life-changing way.

Lisa, not only do you embody the core value of Accountability, you helped us write them!
Thank you so much for your dedication to strategic planning and helping the District lead with purpose.
Congratulations on receiving the Accountability Core Value Award.

Lisa, thank you so much from the Board for all the work you’ve done. Your award of Accountability couldn’t have gone to a better person. Thank you so much.
Lisa, congratulations on winning the Accountability award, helping us achieve our leadership philosophy. (See what I did there?) Thank you for your years of service on the Strategic Planning Committee. We would often bring our plan for the half day and you would very gracefully say, “Yeah, maybe we can do it a little different.” And that’s what accountability is about. And thank you for that, and thank you for your service to the District.

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Sue Brilliant, an Event Ambassador, BCHD Ambassador, and member of the District’s Volunteer Advisory Council, is this year’s Core Value Award winner for Compassion. She approaches her volunteer role with thoughtfulness, and her actions consistently reflect honesty, fairness, and respect for others. Sue’s commitment makes her a shining example of compassion in action.
I volunteer with Beach Cities Health District because I really like my community where I live. My neighbors, my friends, the beach – it’s great, and I just want to pay it forward. They have so many different opportunities to either be with the public, or be in an office, or work with the staff, serving as a leader on the Council or helping organize things.
There’s just so many ways to put your talents to work.

Congratulations. Your poise and professionalism and passion for people makes you the perfect person for the Compassion award.

Well, Sue, although we know you’re already Brilliant, your compassion for this community truly shines through as well.

You’re such a great help at our events, supporting the booth out in the community, and a font of information about our programs to share with booth visitors. Thank you for all you do.
Congratulations, Sue, for winning the award for Compassion, and thank you for all your service to the District for the last 10 years. Thank you for your work as an ambassador.
We really appreciate your support of the District. Thank you for all your help.

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Marilyn Washington is an Administrative Services front desk volunteer who represents the BCHD Core Value of Excellence. She is often the first point of contact for visitors at the BCHD administrative offices, and she greets everyone with a pleasant, calm demeanor and a smile. Marilyn’s patience seems limitless, and she consistently goes the extra mile to help visitors, staff, and callers.

It gives me a purpose. You know, when I get up in the morning for my Tuesday morning shift, I look forward to it. And mentally it helps me. It gets me out of the house, and I just feel rewarded when I come here and, again, when I help people on the phone and am able to get them to the right person to speak to. And also the camaraderie here in the office – the people are very nice, they’re very genuous, and I really enjoy the friendships I’ve made here.
Marilyn, congratulations on your award for Excellence. I just love it when I come in and you’re here. You just light up the room. Thank you for being your wonderful self.
Your enthusiasm and friendliness and excitement to be around us really shows in everything that you do.

Your dedication and commitment to being an outstanding volunteer is truly inspiring, and we are just so lucky to have someone like you be a part of our team and see your beautiful smile every week. Thank you!

Marilyn, congratulations on the Excellence award, and thank you for all your help with the front desk. You keep things running for us, you’re always helpful and cheerful and always say hi when I walk by. I really appreciate all that you’ve done for the District in helping us create a healthy beach community.

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Joan Stolba, a Care and Aid for Patients, or CAPS, crocheting volunteer, is a terrific example of integrity. She has donated more than 2,000 hours to Beach Cities Health District. She consistently contributes many blankets to the CAPS crocheting program, often going out of her way to get needed supplies. As an avid craftswoman, she uses her skills to create beautiful and memorable blankets that bring comfort to community members.
Joan’s compassion is evident in her work for hospice patients and domestic violence survivors.

Volunteering for Beach Cities has really benefitted me for many reasons, but specifically, as I age, I realize that I’m not too old to volunteer, and that it’s keeping me young and it’s making me feel that I have a purpose–somebody waiting for a blanket, or somebody waiting for their gift bag for Christmas. There’s so many ways that through giving, I’m getting. I’m getting a great bit of happiness and joy in that purpose. So I gain just as much as I give when I volunteer.

Congratulations, Joan!
The beauty and craftsmanship that you show through the blankets that you crochet for Torrance Hospice and for the RBPD domestic violence unit show how much you care about this community. Thank you for all your service.
Congratulations, Joan, on winning the Integrity Award and thank you for your seven years of service to the District and over 2400 hours of crocheting blankets for victims of domestic violence and Torrance Hospice. Thank you for that work. I see all the materials that are piled up in the café. It’s a lot of work, and thank you for helping the District achieve its mission. Congratulations.

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Sofia Faccini is a senior at Mira Costa High School, a dedicated youth volunteer, and she’s a member of both the BCHD Youth Advisory Council and the allcove Youth Advisory Group.
Her work with the Youth Advisory Council is focused on the health and wellbeing of her peers and is part of the Beach Cities Partnership for Youth Coalition. The allcove Beach Cities Youth Advisory Group is a team of young leaders who help the allcove team better understand young people’s needs, providing guidance, solutions, and insight on how to support youth in our community.

I started volunteering at the Beach Cities Health District because I wanted to get involved in the mental health crises in the South Bay. So I found the application for the Advisory Council, and from there got really involved with the community, found people and staff members that I really connected with and that I knew would support me, and from there, really found a place to foster those connections and joined Youth Advisory Group, which am now so lucky to be a part of.

Hi, Sofia, we just want to say congratulations on winning the Youth award. We are so proud of you.
You’ve shown so much dedication for your work on the Youth Advisory Council and Youth Advisory Group. The amount of time and effort you’ve given has made such a huge impact.

You’re always stepping up, whether it’s volunteering at events, giving us a last-minute tour to support with the in-person, or just being there to support whenever we need you. Congratulations, Sofia!

Sofia, congratulations on winning the Youth Core Value Award. Thank you for all of your work on the Youth Advisory Committee and now on the Youth Advisory Group, which helps us with allcove. Thank you for making us cool. My son would tell you that that’s a lot of work, so thank you for that. Congratulations on the Youth Core Value Award.

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