Please join us this Saturday, Nov. 12 when we cut the red ribbon at Sue & Mary’s Hallmark! New co-owners Sue Friedrich and Mary LeVoy are throwing a grand opening event to show off their Hallmark holiday merchandise and other new goodies. From 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., there will be refreshments, special offers and raffles. They’ll also have product demos throughout the afternoon, including demonstrations of beautiful Millefiori diffusers led by a representative here all the way from Italy! Closer to 4 p.m., we will do the ribbon cutting ceremony. So take a break from your Saturday errands and stop into Sue & Mary’s Hallmark at 2639 Foothill Blvd. in the Ralphs Marketplace Center.

Finishing up with last week’s rundown of recognition banquet honorees, here are the other award winners from our annual banquet on Oct. 27.

The award for 2016 Educator of the Year was presented to the family of Mark Sanderl.  Mark was an inspiring teacher at Rosemont Middle School with a kind, thoughtful and gentle spirit that made him a welcoming, positive and reassuring presence to his family, friends and students.

Volunteer of the Year Lynn McGinnis has years of service under his belt working with the American Legion/VFW and the community at large. True to his humble nature, in his acceptance speech he recognized the many other volunteers in the audience.

The Beautification Award went to the Crescenta Valley Skate Park in CV Park. The park is a feat of graceful design and engineering that was brought to the community through the hard work of many people. We recognized the work of local student Cooper Iven who had the original idea, Supervisor Michael Antonovich who shepherded the project through, and L.A. County Parks & Rec for helping get it built.

The California Highway Patrol Award went to Officer Phil Cooper. Cooper said, “From the time I graduated high school, I dreamed of becoming a motor officer for the CHP. Don’t ever give up on your dreams because with a little hard work it may not be too late to achieve them.”

The Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Award went to Deputy Marcelo Ruiz. Deputy Ruiz and his family have lived in the Crescenta Valley for almost 20 years. He takes great pride in keeping our community safe.

The Glendale Police Dept. Award went to Officer Frank Segura. He is a veteran patrol officer known for his incredible work ethic and his talent at catching burglary suspects.

Our Firefighter of the Year Award went to Firefighter Specialist Keith Knipschild. Keith grew up in Glendale and currently serves at Fire Station 63 in La Crescenta. Besides his dedication to fire service, Keith serves the community by removing graffiti, coaching and raising funds for sports fields.

The Chamber thanks each of our recipients for the service they provide to our community.  You help make our neighborhood a safe, healthy and happy place to live.

  Lisa DUPUY