AUGUST 17, 2010
Gables Chamber names finalists for City Beautiful Awards
Citizens’ Crime Watch acts GABLES as ‘eyes and ears’ for police GREAT Judy Pantoja synonymous with community service
BY LARRY M. NOLAN
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he City of Coral Gables has blended many architectural styles during the past 85 years to create its own authentic spirit. To honor and recognize the aesthetic charm found in the architecture of the commercial district of Coral Gables, the Chamber re-established the City Beautiful Awards in 2007. “Let me thank the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce for this opportunity to participate in the City Beautiful Award program,” said Carlos A. Mindreau, honorary judge of the 2010 City Beautiful Awards and Coral Gables city architect. “As in most of our human experience, it is important to recognize and celebrate valiant efforts which promote a higher quality of life and which elevate the human spirit; this is particularly significant as it relates to the built environment. “We are continually influenced by the structures and spaces that surround us and in which spend a large portion of our conscious moments. It is necessary for these elements of urbanism to be best that we can attain,” Mindreau continued. He said the City Beautiful Award is a way to promote and reward those that contribute in this direction and influence our lives so positively.
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FINALISTS. on page 4
BY GLORIA BURNS
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Pictured (l-r) are Rev. Arnold Perry, Crime Watch secretary/treasurer; John Pepper, Crime Watch Vice president; Sgt. Janette Frevola, Community Affairs supervisor, and Aaron Glasser, Crime Watch president. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
BY MARIA ROSA HIGGINS FALLON
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n Coral Gables, you can be sure that your neighbors are watching. That is because for 30 years, a wellorganized group of citizen volunteers and members of the Coral Gables Citizens’ Crime Watch have been safeguarding their blocks, their neighborhoods and surrounding areas by keeping a watchful eye for suspicious activities and protecting their homes and families from the “bad guys.”
The Coral Gables Citizens’ Crime Watch was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in the summer of 1980 after community activists combined their efforts to take a stand against crime. Today, hundreds of Coral Gables residents are looking out for each other in their neighborhoods, keeping tabs on any police reports nearby, and reporting unusual and suspicious activities to the Police Department. –––––––––– See
CRIME WATCH, on page 4
udy Pantoja is a tall statuesque woman, whose beauty inside and out is matched by a sharp mind and giving heart. For those who know her, she and community service are joined in thought and action. Like peanut butter and jelly, where there is one you will often find the other. As the oldest of five girls from an upper middle class Honduran family, Pantoja has never taken anything for granted and has always felt the need to give back to her community. From rescuing stray animals as a young child and helping elders cross the street to serving as a candy striper at the age of 15, Pantoja continues in this vein to this day. She is truly a product of Coral Gables. JUDY PANTOJA Her early education began at Coral Gables Elementary, St. Theresa’s School, and, finally, at Our Lady of Lourdes
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PANTOJA, on page 4