… And a drumroll, please!
The Town Crier is proud to announce the 2019 Ernie Maxwell Community Spirit Award nominees. They are Joe and Yong Neu, Janice Lyle, and Phyllis Mueller.
Please keep the following in mind when you vote: The individual should have demonstrated a tangible, perhaps physical, effect on the community. The honor is given to an individual or group who represents EMax’s spirit of community and volunteerism. Prior awardees took actions that created a spark sufficient to bring others into the fray just as Maxwell did with his activities involving the environment.
Ballots need to be submitted by Oct. 18. To help you decide who to vote for, we compiled all the amazing things that were written about each nominee, in the EMax spirit, of course.
Joe and Yong Neu: The individual who nominated this couple said that they are the embodiment of the word “volunteer.” They have run the Feeding America program for more than five years. In addition to that, they collect recyclables and turn the proceeds in to the youth sports programs. If there is anything needed in this community, you can call them. They do anything from coaching youth sports to fundraising and rebuilding homes, like they did for the Loutzenhiser family after the Esperanza Fire. They have coached baseball, soccer and basketball, oh my!
Next on the list is former Idyllwild Community Center (ICC) President Janice Lyle. The individual who nominated Lyle said, “There are few people in our community who better embody the spirit of community and volunteerism than Janice.” Lyle has been working for years to ensure ICC has a community center complex. She was able to oversee phase 1 of the project. She was influential in the ICC takeover of recreational services at Town Hall and led the upgrades at the skate park and construction of the new pickleball court.
The last nominee is the chief of staff to Idyllwild’s beloved Mayor Max. Phyllis Mueller works tirelessly to get the mayor to engagements that promote Idyllwild, its businesses and community to not just the nation, but the world. There are many hours spent by the mayor and his staff, who dedicate time to the community and tourists. The mayor has made countless television and media appearances. All of the time and appearances are coordinated by someone, and that someone is Mueller. The hours Mueller volunteers to the cause are “endless.”
That’s a little information about each nominee. Please remember to get your ballot (on page A6) in to the Town Crier by Oct. 18. The winner will be announced in the Oct. 24 edition of the Town Crier and their name will be added to a plaque in the Town Crier office. Good luck to all of the nominees. We have a great group this year.