Cool to be kind: North OC residents recognized for paying it forward

“I don’t know if it’s OK to nominate my mom, but I’m going to,” he wrote.

“She adopted me and my little brother when we were preschool age. We were both starving in Mexico, and taken to an orphanage. Now we are Americans with jobs. We both have disabilities because we didn’t get enough food when we were young, but my mom helped us to be independent adults. Now I am 31 and my brother is 28. Also, my mom has been a teacher in Brea for over 30 years. She has taught over 1,000 children in her lifetime. She works a lot of hours and spends weekends at special events for her students. We even go on trips sometimes with her, like last year, we went to Sacramento and her students competed in National History Day competition.

“She loves us. She loves her students. She loves her community and she is the kindest person I know. Thank you and God bless.”

That was Jose Berrner nominating his mom, Jill Berrner, for a Fourth District Kindness Award. It made me weepy. These awards are a delightful fall ritual from Orange County Supervisor Doug Chaffee’s office, a beacon in a nutty world that seems ablaze with conflict and cruelty, celebrating the gentle milk of human kindness.

The Kindness Awards honor seven big-hearted people from Chaffee’s northern Orange County district — Rosa Dominguez of Anaheim, Gianna Mulkay of Brea, Ellie Westenhaver of Buena Park, Sandra White of Fullerton, Sara Ursenbach of La Habra, Joe Rasic of Placentia and Maria Lorena Flores of Stanton.

Jo-Anne Matsuba, chair of the Orange County Human Relations Commission, won the Honorary Kindness Award.

There are scores of worthy nominees beyond these winners. Reading through the nominations has become a holiday season highlight for this humble scribe, a light in the darkness, evidence that so many are quietly making the world a better place, and it’s not completely delusional to hope for the future.

Today, as we take stock on Thanksgiving Day, we share some of their stories. Here’s hoping they inspire us all to do more, and be better.

Everyday heroes

Consider the Nering family of Buena Park. They were at the Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas six years ago when a gunman opened fire on the crowd from a nearby hotel, killing 58 and injuring more than 400. Sons Memphis and Phoenix — just elementary school students at the time — will never forget the horror.

But they’re learning to mine good from bad. Each year, on the anniversary of the shooting, they do “58 random acts of kindness” — one for each life lost that night. It’s little things, like treats at police and fire stations, but it’s healing.

Then there’s Gail Anderson of Anaheim. She has taken a newly arrived Ukrainian family under her wing, helped them find a home, conspired with her Anaheim Colony neighbors to fully stock their apartment, helped the kids enroll in school, hosted a welcome party and checks in with them daily, to help them build their American dream.

Sergio Iniguez grows trees and plants in Buena Park, then plants them around the neighborhood. “He does it all himself. It beautifies not only the city but the surrounding community,” the nomination said.

Foster Love

Gianna Mulkay of Brea knows she was lucky. Born into the foster care system, she was adopted into a large, loving family and taught never to give up on herself. In college, she met Danny Mendoza, founder of a nonprofit dedicated to young people in the foster care system, called Together We Rise-Foster Love.

Mulkay did an internship there — and discovered her life’s mission. Now she’s Foster Love’s executive director, leading a staff of more than 50 as it tries try to fill gaps in the child welfare system. She had her first baby last year, which has only cemented her commitment to the children in the system.

“I’m very passionate about the work we do to help the foster care community because I myself was adopted and I know firsthand how a family’s loving embrace can really reflect your trajectory long-term,” she said in a short video. (Stick with the video — the volunteers at a sibling reunification day at Disneyland wound up adopting the three kids they were charged with watching and making a forever family.)

“On a personal level, Gianna inspires me on a daily basis,” the nomination says. “As a foster mom myself, I recognize that there is no cookie-cutter approach to addressing the issues surrounding the foster care system. As such, I sincerely admire her continuing commitment to innovation ….  Gianna’s genuine compassion combined with her top-tier nonprofit management skills work together to ensure Foster Love remains on the cutting edge of foster care innovation and support.”

Hungry to help

Meals on Wheels saved the life and dignity of Sandra White’s grandmother — and, in a way, her father’s life as well.

White’s immediate family lived in Iowa, but her grandmother wanted to remain in her own apartment in Massachusetts as she aged. It was incredibly stressful for her dad, an only child, trying to find support services from so far away. When he learned that the local visiting nurses program delivered meals, he signed his mom up — and it was one of the keys that enabled her to stay in her own home until the day she died.

“I’m sort of paying it forward for the kindness all those people gave to my grandmother,” White said.

White, of Fullerton, began volunteering for Meals on Wheels nearly 30 years ago, helping seniors alleviate hunger and loneliness. “Sandra has volunteered endless hours and made an impact on the homebound of our city,” the nomination says. “We all have an instinct to care, but it takes effort to make it grow and to turn into a habit of helping others.”

Words into action

Ellie Westenhaver of Buena Park has been a volunteer with the Assistance League of Fullerton — “to help people in need by putting caring and commitment into action” — for 14 years. Operation School Bell, its largest and most time-consuming project, provided new school clothes for nearly 1,600 children living in poverty last year, and is an exhausting endeavor.

“Ellie meets with students and parents at Target department stores sometimes four times a day, and she maintains documentation and a budget from the Assistance League of Fullerton of $170,000 for the program,” the nomination said. She also finds time to volunteer in the League’s thrift shop at least once a week, and for the St. Vincent de Paul program for the needy as well.

“A treasure beyond rubies in her dedication to serving others with loving kindness,” it said.

Westerhaver said the work helps her see how lucky she really is. “It’s rewarding because you really do make a difference,” she said. “Now they have shirts that say ‘Be Kind’ … all it is is just a smile.”

Who you gonna call?

Maria Lorena Flores painted her face purple and tied big purple ribbons around trees as captain for the Stanton Relay for Life.

Every third Saturday of the month, she and her husband are at Stanton Park at 5:30 a.m., helping set up for the food drive that helps folks in need.

After nearly 25 years, she has become a fixture at Stanton’s Easter egg hunt, National Night Out, Halloween for Family and Friends, Christmas tree lighting, Veterans Day at the park, health fairs, turkey dinner at Harry’s Cafe and family fiestas.

“I want my children to feel very proud of me, and I want to set a good example,” she said.

When one of her neighbors was in dire straits — morbidly obese and unable to move — she helped him get to a hospital, and then cleaned up his apartment so he could return to a fresh start. “Her leadership and organizational skills have made her the go-to person to call if someone needs help,” the nomination says.

Fearless

It started when Rosa Dominguez’s kids were in school. It didn’t stop once they graduated.

Dominguez became “an unwavering presence” at Anaheim Union High School District events. During pandemic lockdowns — when everything was still a great and threatening unknown — Dominguez was first to arrive and last to leave at food distribution locations. She stepped up to assist with COVID testing sites, then helped at COVID vaccination sites. She has collected donations for flood victims and rallied the community to contribute blankets, clothing and other essentials.

“Whenever our community needed a helping hand in keeping our environment pristine, Rosa was the first person to emerge, armed with gloves and rakes,” the nomination says. “Her dedication to maintaining a clean and beautiful community is truly inspiring. Rosa Dominguez is not just a community member; she is a beacon of kindness and a symbol of selfless service.”

People have different hobbies, Dominguez said — and hers is to volunteer. “I really love it,” she said.

‘Yes’

Joe Rasic of Placentia has a saying: “The answer is yes. What’s the question?”

The proprietor of Craftsman Pizza comes from a line of restaurateurs dating back to 1933. His restaurant and catering trailer have supported community events to the tune of $2 million.

Nearly every school or sports team received sponsorship from his restaurant. He has served on the board of directors for Rotary as well as the Chamber of Commerce and was named the 2022 Citizen of the Year for Placentia. His commitment to his community is summed up by his saying, the nomination says.

First five

First 5 commissions sprang to life a quarter-century ago, funding services for young children with tobacco tax revenues. Sara Ursenbach of La Habra stepped in to help.

She connects families to the resources they need as a professional — and also as a Family Ambassador for First 5 Orange County. She creates workshops to help parents navigate governmental systems and seeks to create systemic change in early childhood systems.

‘Something new’

There are so many others. Like Shameem Syed of Fullerton, who volunteers with Olive Community Services, helping organize its annual Grandparents Day celebration and sharing her environmental passion by teaching sustainable practices in “Go Green with Shameem” classes. “No matter the size of the event Shameem goes above and beyond in making sure we reduce waste, especially plastic, and use reusable items whenever we can,” the nomination said.

And Anthony Ciaramitaro, a police radio patrol volunteer with the La Habra Police Department who responds to traffic accidents and conducts vacation home checks.

And Melinda Chen, a 10th grader at Troy High School in Fullerton, who leads summer reading programs and teaches hands-on STEM to kids. She hopes they say, “I learned something new today.”

Supervisor Chaffee, for his part, finds the annual exercise edifying. “It is especially important for us to acknowledge and appreciate kindness wherever we can find it,” he said in a statement. “Our Kindness Award honorees have risen to the challenge and have gone beyond that to ensure the needs of our communities are met.”

Source: Orange County Register