Mary O’Keefe, reporter for the Crescenta Valley Weekly, was among 15 women honored by Rep. Adam Schiff as his choice for 2020 Women of the Year. The women came from communities in the 28th Congressional District – Atwater Village, Burbank, Echo Park, Elysian Valley, Glendale, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Los Feliz, Montrose, Pasadena, Silver Lake, Tujunga and West Hollywood.

“Every year in March, in honor of Women’s History Month, my office hosts an event to honor our district’s Women of the Year,” said Rep. Schiff. “Unfortunately, we had to postpone our celebration due to coronavirus, but I wanted to make sure these outstanding women get the recognition they deserve. They are all pillars of our communities and I thank them for their invaluable service.”

Below is a full list of honorees from this year: Flordelina “Lenni” Lara (Atwater Village), Brenda Burroughs (Burbank), Meymuna Hussein-Cattan (Echo Park), Janet Workman (Elysian Valley), Susana Reyes (Glendale), Shannon Geaney (Hollywood), Tami Kagan-Abrams (Hollywood Hills), Barbara Weber (La Canada Flintridge), Mary O’Keefe (La Crescenta), Alexis Sanchez (Los Feliz), Victoria Malone (Montrose), Claire Bogaard (Pasadena), Coralyn AndresTaylor (Silver Lake), Dr. Ani Halabi (Tujunga) and Esther Baum (West Hollywood).

To see a video Rep. Schiff posted on social media, visit https://www.facebook.com/RepAdamSchiff/.

Local honorees included Brenda Burroughs of Burbank. Burroughs has devoted her time to volunteer with numerous organizations that help benefit schools and charities within her community. She has been an engaged volunteer with the Burbank Arts for All Foundation. Her extensive volunteer service list also includes the Burbank Educational Foundation, the Renal Support Network, and Relay for Life. Burroughs champions the Family Service Agency of Burbank by volunteering for the non-profit’s yearly Carewalk and Party with a Purpose to raise funds that underwrite community counseling and mental health care for the children, families, and veterans in Burbank.

From Glendale, Susana Reyes was recognized. Reyes has dedicated her life to working on issues that impact the environment. As a Sierra Club leader and activist, she is an advocate for the greater Los Angeles community in environmental justice issues. Susana was an elected member of the Sierra Club National Board of Directors where she served as vice president and currently is the national volunteer co-lead for the Clean Transportation for All campaign. In 2019, she was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to the Board of Commissioners of the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power (LADWP) making her the first Filipino-American LADWP Commissioner.

Barbara Weber of La Cañada Flintridge was recognized for her volunteer work in the community. She has served on the boards of several La Cañada Flintridge Parent-Teacher Associations and was a classroom volunteer at Paradise Canyon Elementary School. Other organizations that have benefitted from her volunteer service include Huntington Hospital, the Assistance League of Flintridge, and Caltech Women’s Club.

Mary O’Keefe is an esteemed community volunteer and reporter for the Crescenta Valley Weekly. She is active in Prom Plus, a non-profit organization that holds a supervised after-prom event for Crescenta Valley High School seniors as well as their guests. When her daughter voiced interest in establishing a youth arm, Prom Plus Club, O’Keefe became the Club’s mentor. O’Keefe founded the Fire House Youth Center in La Crescenta, which welcomes youth to congregate and spend time with each other in a safe place. She also serves on the Crescenta Valley Prayer Breakfast Committee and Crescenta Valley Fire Safe Council board.

Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Victoria Malone was recognized for the time she devotes to volunteering for several local events and organizations. She has volunteered for the Montrose Shopping Park Association Small Business Saturday and the Crescenta Valley Fireworks Association events. She and her family have opened up their home to several rescue dogs that were in search of their forever homes.

Dr. Ani Halabi of Tujunga has been a successful optometrist for 15 years. She is an active volunteer and member of several local non-profit organizations. She is a member of the Armenian American Medical Society, where she has helped coordinate the vision clinic at the Glendale Health Festival. She is also a member of the Glendale Northwest Lions Club, where she is co-chair of the sight conservation committee, and under her leadership, the club has provided free eyeglasses to people in need. She has also volunteered at vision screenings at several schools.

  Mary Okeefe