To: ALL LOCAL NEWS EDITORS
Subject: Make A Difference Awards Honor Three for ‘Service Beyond Measure’
Contact: Ester B. Huey / 575-6114
YAKIMA - Who or what makes a difference in the life of a community?
The achievements of the one individual and two organizations to be honored as recipients of the 2007 Make A Difference awards in Yakima define what it means to make a difference. Their contributions have brought about significant improvements for the community as a whole.
The three 2007 Make A Difference award recipients are Vickie Ybarra, Catholic Charities, and The Capitol Theatre. They will be honored at the 11th Annual Make A Difference Banquet on Fri., Oct. 12, at the Southeast Yakima Community Center, 1211 South Seventh St., in Yakima. Coordinator for the event is Ester B. Huey, the center’s executive director. The theme for this year’s banquet is Service Beyond Measure.
Vickie Ybarra, RN, MPH, is the director of planning and development for Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. She is also the chairperson of the Yakima School Board which oversees the largest Hispanic majority school district in Washington State. In addition, she is a board member of the East Yakima Early Learning Initiative, a Gates Foundation/Thrive by Five Project. She served for six years on the Washington State Board of Health. Long an advocate for equity of education and health service delivery for diverse populations, Ms. Ybarra was recently appointed by Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire to chair the Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities, an advisory body created by the 2006 session of the Washington State Legislature.
Catholic Charities agencies provide services annually to more than 90,000 residents of central Washington without regard to national origin, income, or religious beliefs. The organization draws great strength from more than 3,000 volunteers who contribute over 170,000 hours of service each year. In the words of Catholic Charities’ vision statement, “We envision communities where people are treated with dignity and respect, their basic needs are met, and they are empowered to enhance the quality of their own lives.”
The Catholic Charities network includes nine Catholic Family and Child Service offices, Catholic Charities Housing Services’ affordable housing in 10 communities with 40 units of senior housing now under construction in Yakima, and four St. Vincent Centers.
The Capitol Theatre is a local hub for the performing arts. The historic theatre in downtown Yakima is host to many events that light its own stage and a partner to other produced elsewhere in the community. From its early days as the “petit bijou” of the long ago Pantages Theatre circuit, The Capitol has evolved as a broad-based arts organization that serves the community at large.
Three key motives drive The Capitol’s performances and partnerships: access to experiences, strengthening community capacity, and supporting community initiatives. Using this standard, The Capitol has partnered in events such as the Holiday Parade of Lights and provided its stage for Yakima Youth Awards. In addition, the theatre is an active member of organized efforts to revitalize Yakima’s downtown with the theatre’s planned expansion seen as a complement for other core improvements.
Whether in health care, education, housing, social services, or the performing arts, each of the three Make A Difference honorees has created present and future opportunities for people of all ages who live in Yakima. That’s making a difference. That’s service beyond measure!
For additional information or to make reservations for the 2007 Make A Difference Banquet, please call 575-6114.Tickets for the banquet are $25 each.
