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October 2012 Nancy Dommes Named 2012 Alamo Citizen of the Year at Alamo Music Festival
Serving Alamo and Diablo
The weather was beautiful at the 30th Annual Alamo Music and Wine Festival held in September. The wonderful food and new music headliners were well received. A highlight of the evening was the Rotary Club of Alamo naming Nancy Dommes as the 2012 Alamo Citizen of the Year.
A trail ride is part of Mounted Patrol certification. Photo courtesy of EBRPD.
Volunteer Trail Patrols Put Safety First in East Bay Regional Parks By Jody Morgan
Nancy Dommes (center) receives awards from local community leaders.
This is the 28th year that the Club has presented this award. The Club selects the Citizen of the Year based on service, integrity, and citizenship. The person must have also demonstrated a unique commitment to the Alamo community that places her/him in a special place to be deserving of this recognition. All members of the Alamo community are encouraged each year to nominate that person who best meets these criteria. Nancy has worked tirelessly for over 20 years to make Alamo a better place to live and work. She is a former member of the Alamo Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) and the P2B Citizens Advisory Council. Nancy has served the Alamo community holding numerous positions with the National Charity League where she was Diablo Valley Chapter president 2000-2001, R-7A Committee member, Zone 36 Committee member, Alamo Community Foundation treasurer, and Alamo Women’s Club Co-President 2012-2013. She was also the founder of the Scrip program at Rancho Romero Elementary School. Nancy has been described by those who worked with her as “the ultimate organizer” and an “asset to any group that she involves herself with and there have been many over the years.” Also mentioned was “what makes her special and unique is not just that she can lead and see the big picture of what is important for a group, but that she gets in and helps at every level as needed with compassion for all.” One of her friends mentioned Nancy and her daughter cleaning the cat cages for ARF for several years each Saturday, showing not only compassion but working where many do not want to volunteer. This empathy for animals and the community is illustrated by her theme of “Sharing Hugs” she enlisted when she was president of the Diablo Valley National Charity League. The Rotary Club of Alamo was founded on May 7, 1971 and has 50 members. Each year, the Club sponsors the Alamo Music and Wine Festival, which supports the music programs at Alamo and Rancho Romero Elementary Schools, Lucille Mauzy School, Stone Valley Middle School, and Monte Vista and San Ramon High Schools as well as other community and international service projects. The Club meets on Wednesdays at 12:15PM at Round Hill Country Club, located at 3169 Roundhill Road in Alamo. To learn more about the Rotary Club of Alamo and its many activities, visit www.alamorotary.org or Facebook and search alamorotary.
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Keeping multi-use trails safe throughout the 112,000 acres of the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) is a daunting task. With 65 parks and only 60 sworn officers to supervise the more than 1,100 miles of trail open to the public, the 200 members of the Volunteer Trail Safety Patrols contribute significantly to ensuring the courteous sharing of this exceptional open space by park visitors. Volunteers currently serve on Mounted, Bicycle, Hiking and Companion Dog Patrols and may also qualify for Search and Rescue. Heather Gilfillan, EBRPD Volunteer Coordinator, meets with prospective volunteers to assess their qualifications. A few are too interested in being enforcers, a role reserved for Park Police. Others lack the communication skills to turn an encounter with a visitor violating park rules into a cordial educational experience rather than a hostile confrontation. Some will not commit to remaining on patrol for at least a year. Each patrol has its own certification testing. “Once we get them on patrol,” Heather laughs, “they stay on board a long time unless they move out of the area! Some have been on patrol for 30 years.” The concept began with four John Moffat, Cathy Overmeyer, and Bodie. Photo civilian riders who wanted to courtesy of Carl LaRue. make a difference. In 1979 they formalized their vision as the Volunteer Mounted Patrol. Bicycle Patrol followed in 1989, Hiking Patrol in 1994 and Companion Dog Patrol soon after. While each of the patrols makes its own unique contribution to promoting safety and preserving natural resources, all share the mission of observing, reporting and educating. “We are the friendly face of the Volume XII - Number 10 parks,” says Cindy Shon who has been on 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, Mounted Patrol for the past decade. “Our Alamo, CA 94507 role is to be friendly, helpful, and informa- Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 Fax (925) 406-0547 tive.” Patrol members answer questions, share maps, and advise visitors about Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher park regulations. They report downed Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Sharon Burke ~ Writer trees, animals left unattended in trailers sburke@yourmonthlypaper.com or cars, and situations that may require The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do intervention by sworn officers. Before not necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today not responsible for the content of any of the advertising going on patrol they call in their plans to isherein, nor does publication imply endorsement.
See EBRPD continued on pg. 22