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>> Armando Camacho: Should we take this show outside? It’s a beautiful day! [laughter]
I hope that some of you got a chance to experience our garden dedication earlier today. It’s
a wonderful little event that we have outside so if you haven’t had a chance to see our
garden outside, the project that we have to involve our youth and our volunteers and staff
in growing organic produce and herbs, please take a look at it. It’s a partnership that
we have through Bailey Nurseries. So again, my name is Armando, and I just celebrated
my two year anniversary here at Neighborhood House a few weeks ago in May and it’s been
truly an honor and a blessing to come back to the community that I owe my life to, and
the organization that helped me go from a situation that was not ideal, to the support
that I needed as a young man. So this is my third awards event and I’m really pleased
with the Currie Scholar recipients and the 50th Anniversary that we have.
We’re honoring a number of individuals this evening. For those of you who don’t know
much about Neighborhood House, which there might be a few of you, we have the largest
single food shelf in Ramsey County, single site, over twenty-six hundred pounds of food
go out of this facility each and every day. In no other site in this county will you have
more food be distributed to people who need assistance than from Neighborhood House. Almost
1,000 students have been served in our English Language Learner program, we have classes
day and night, computer classes, GED classes, a number of things going on with teaching
adults basic skills for them to be productive citizens. Our youth center, over 800 youth
have participated in our youth activities here at the organization and with our partnership
with Parks and Rec. And we have nearly 1000 volunteers, so volunteers are truly the backbone
of this organization and we invite you to volunteer if you ever have the opportunity.
Tonight we honor three people who for years have steadfastly and effectively supported
Neighborhood House in a wide variety of volunteer roles. We want to say congratulations to Trinidad
Mendoza Casillas, Pastor Tim Johnson, and Don Luna. I would also like to thank the people
who are introducing our awardees who likewise have been essential to our success, we have
a number of staff and volunteers who will be doing that. My Nhia Lee will be introducing
our Volunteer of the Year Trinidad Mendoza Casillas, and My Nhia is our Basic Needs Manager,
thank you My Nhia. Susan Rostkoski will introduce Pastor Tim Johnson, the 2010 incoming Honorary
Board Member, thank you Susan. And St. Paul [Police] Chief Designee, Neighborhood House
Board Member, Currie Scholar, and 2008 Neighborhood House Alumnus of the Year, Tomas Smith will
introduce Don Luna, 2010 Alumnus of the Year. Thank you and congratulations Chief. [clapping]