In this town, strike or no strike, it’s awards season; so any comparison to the entertainment industry is convenient and understandable. With the Fernando Award, that honor annually given to an outstanding volunteer in the San Fernando Valley, the allusion is easy to make for the new president of Fernando Award Foundation: “It’s the Oscars of the Valley for civic involvement,” said Bruce Ackerman, noting that because this is the 50th anniversary of the award, this year will be different. Rather than highlight one group’s volunteer, the Foundation will honor organizations themselves. The event to recognize the groups will be a dinner in September, Ackerman said, where all past recipients will also be feted. Because there will not be just a single person honored, gone this year will be the luncheon for all the nominees; as will the dinner usually held to announce the leading five nominees. Past foundation president Brad Rosenheim said this year’s premise is to focus on all the contributions of previous recipients. “This lets us bring people back into the focus of what Fernando is, which is the beauty and benefit of volunteerism,” Rosenheim said. Ackerman concurred. “This allows the foundation to renew the purpose of the organization,” he said, and in the words of Rosenheim, to honor the “Valley’s rich tradition of volunteerism.” A goal of the foundation this year is to expand their horizon, including volunteers from beyond the field they harvest already. “I’d like to see it be broader and include more organizations,” Ackerman said, reiterating that the award honors “people in any organization that has, as its nature, volunteerism or is non-profit.” Hypothetically, he said, there’s “some little league booster club with a volunteer who’s gone to great lengths for them.” The foundation is dedicated to seeking out those groups and including them, he said. “They will see they have just as much opportunity as any other group to highlight one of their participants,” Ackerman said. A participant that, Rosenheim said, has made a significant impact in their own way. “It’s for a lifetime of achievement of work for the Valley,” he said. In addition to the annual Fernando Award, the foundation bestows scholarships $10,000 to $12,000 annually. This year, the foundation has secured the participation of NBC Universal and Thomas Properties, Ackerman said. In addition to Ackerman, the president and CEO of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, the newly seated board of the Fernando Award Foundation includes vice presidents Lynn Rinker, Bud Brown, Tracy Rafter and Richard Leyden; treasurer is Tom Soule; Gerry Keshka is secretary.
