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Community Kudos - Volunteerism Honored
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Caroline L. Schauf was honored as Youth of the Year for 2013 at the Community Awards Banquet on Saturday evening. Here, emcee Darlene Barber-Martinez looks on as Schauf tells the audience of her plans for her senior project at Riverbank High School. - photo by Ric McGinnis/The News

Volunteerism in Riverbank was recognized at the 51st Annual Community Awards Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Riverbank Community Center.

Honored for 2013 were Riverbank Save Mart Supermarket as Business of the Year, Youth of the Year was Caroline L. Schauf, and Ida Kennedy was named Citizen of the Year.

Honoring community support, Business of the Year was awarded by the Riverbank Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Jerry Van Houten presented it to Save Mart manager Tony Angoletta. Other nominees included Riverbank Sno-White Drive-In and Antigua Event Center.

The MOY/COY committee presented the Youth of the Year and Citizen of the Year awards, volunteers recognized in Riverbank since 1962. Originally it was organized as the Man of the Year Committee. When women also became honored for their contributions, it became the Citizen of the Year Award, hosted by the MOY/COY Committee.

Caroline Schauf, a senior at Riverbank High School, was nominated for her work on the Teen Action Committee, helping determine the structure of the Teen Center as it was being developed, and ideas for the types of entertainment there to encourage teens to participate. She has also volunteered for city events where needed, such as the Christmas Parade, Harvest Festival, Relay For Life, Movies in the Park at Jacob Myers Park, Beyond Earth Day and the Haunted Halloween Hayride.

She has worked daily after school with children at the Riverbank Language Academy, helping with homework and supervising the playground and she has coached in the Youth Basketball League.

Other nominees for Youth of the Year included Jonathen Beliera, Casey Floyd, Edward Guardado, Jovan Lunar and Dayana Manzo.

The Youth of the Year receives a scholarship from the committee in the amount of $500 with the runner up receiving $250 and the others $100 each.

Citizen of the Year for 2013 went to Ida Kennedy. She has been a Riverbank resident since 1942 and began volunteering for Riverbank Christian Food Sharing in 1986. She has worked four days a week for the past 27 years. She is in charge of the kitchen, getting all the food organized and put into individual bags to give to the families in need.

Also nominated for Citizen of the Year were Milton Gutierrez, Leo Hernandez, Sylvia Jimenez and Verdie Terry Harper.

The newly honored Citizen of the Year becomes chair of the MOY/COY Committee, conducting meetings that are held in the coming year that leads to the next Citizen of the Year selection. She will also serve as emcee of the next awards banquet.

Citizen of the Year 2012 and Riverbank City Councilmember Darlene Barber-Martinez was this year’s program host. At the beginning of the program she asked for a moment of silence to honor Citizens of the Year Leo Silva, 1974, and Scott Pettit, 2007, who passed away in 2013.