[Archived] Alexandria Jaycees Honor Alexandria City Employees


News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:	Tuesday, May 25, 1999
Contact:	Angelita Plemmer, City Manager's Office, (703) 838-4300; Dr. Bill Incatasciato, President Alexandria Jaycees (703) 866-7171

Alexandria Jaycees Honor Alexandria City Employees

The Alexandria Jaycees presented awards Monday night to the winners of the 1999 "Outstanding Public Service Award" --- in recognition of city employees who have distinguished themselves, their families and the community in their civic contributions.

The event, held as a part of the Jaycees' annual Community Appreciation Night, was held at the Ramada Hotel, May 24, at 7 p.m.

Wally Owings, executive director of Reston Interfaith, Inc., former assistant town manager for Vienna, Va., and former President of the Virginia Jaycees, provided the keynote address, honoring the award recipients.

The following City employees were recognized for their public service work:

Mauricio "Tony" Menjivar, Fire Inspector, received the "James E. Shortt Award," given in honor of the late James Edward Short, a former Alexandria Fire Prevention Inspector and Deputy Fire Marshall. Mr. Menjivar joined the Alexandria Fire Department in May of 1991, following a tour with the U.S. Marine Corps as a tank crewman. As a firefighter, he provided fire suppression and emergency medical services to the citizens of Alexandria for more than six years. In November 1997, Mr. Menjivar joined the Code Enforcement Bureau as a Fire Inspector. In this capacity, he conducts inspections of residential and commercial facilities in the City of Alexandria. He is assigned to the Arlandria and Hume Springs area of the City. In this assignment, Tony has gone above and beyond the scope of his job description. He is very involved with the Latino community, helping to ensure that the residents of this area are familiar with their rights and responsibilities. He volunteers on his own time to conduct educational programs i
n both Spanish and English and also volunteers at an after-school reading program for children. He provides information on home fire safety, choosing a career, and so forth for adults in the community. He is currently working on a mentoring program for young adults. He conducts classes for day care providers in the community, so they will know what to do and say when calling 911, performing infant CPR, and otherwise reacting to emergency situations. Mr. Menjivar also is a member of the youth program called City Kids Corp., which is working to prevent teens from joining gangs and helping them to avoid violent situations.

Officer Belinda Callahan received the "Charles W. Hill Award," given in honor of the late Corporal Charles W. Hill, who was killed in the line of duty during a hostage and shooting tragedy in March 1989. Officer Callahan has served with the Alexandria Police Department for the past 14 years. She is currently assigned as the Arlandria Community's Residential Police Officer (RPO). As an RPO, Officer Callahan not only works in her assigned neighborhood, but lives there in a City-provided housing unit. This proactive approach to providing police service facilitates officers becoming truly involved in the communities they serve. Last year, Officer Callahan received 10 letters from members of the community thanking and commending her for her participation and contributions to the success of a variety of community events. The events include her work as a volunteer waitress in the "Cops and Lobsters Special Olympics Fundraiser" and the successful coordination of the Arlandria Community's National Night Out at the Arl
andria Shopping Center. She was commended for her work on a bicycle safety awareness demonstration, a child seat safety evaluation, and a Women in Policing Career Day. She was praised for her crime prevention presentation at the opening of a new in-patient facility, her bi-weekly participation in the "Reading is Fundamental" and English as a Second Language programs and her annual coordination of bringing underprivileged kids affiliated with the Alexandria Police Community Support Section to the Alexandria Jaycees Haunted House.

Kristi Dooley received the "E. Judith Krasnow Award," in honor of E. Judith "Judy" Krasnow, who was a leader in the area of community mental health services for more than three decades in Alexandria. Ms. Dooley works for the City of Alexandria's Department of Human Relations, where she serves as the City's Affirmative Action Officer. In this role, she manages the City's Affirmative Action and Diversity program, in which she tracks and reports on the status of the City's workforce, conducts outreach efforts to attract a diverse workforce, reflective of the citizens of Alexandria, and works closely with City commissions and City department managers concerning workforce issues. Ms. Dooley has helped to develop and now facilitates workshops for the City's Diversity Training program. She also staffs the City's Call to Community program, which promotes race relations and cultural understanding in the community. Ms. Dooley is an active member of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, where she serves on the Local Missi
ons Committee and serves as chair of the Communications Task Force. As a volunteer mentor with the Family Independence Program (a welfare to work program coordinated by ALIVE), Ms. Dooley provides support to women making the transition from welfare to work. A volunteer for the Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry, Ms. Dooley has served as a member of the Planning Committee for NOVAM's 1998 fall fundraiser.

Deputy Sheriff George Baldwin received the "William G. Truesdale Award," given in honor of Deputy Sheriff William G. Truesdale, who sacrificed his life trying to prevent the escape of a dangerous prisoner. Deputy Baldwin began his career with the Office of Sheriff in May 1990. He has received two promotions and currently holds the rank of Deputy Sheriff III. He has held numerous positions within the Office and Detention Center, and is currently a recruiter and applicant background investigator. He has received nine letters of commendation from citizens and Office supervisors. Sheriff James Dunning wrote that Deputy Baldwin "exemplifies the quality service to all Alexandrians that the Office of Sheriff is known for. In his current and in all previous assignments, Deputy Baldwin has maintained the highest degree of professionalism and dedication." In his off-duty hours, Deputy Baldwin is a "Big Brother" for a 10-year-old Alexandria youth who was having difficulty in school. Deputy Baldwin meets with the youth o
n a regular basis to help with homework assignments and family life skills. He also counseled the youth and his mother because their relationship was very strained. Today, the boy and his mother share a much healthier relationship and the boy's school grades have improved due to the efforts of Deputy Baldwin. In addition, Deputy Baldwin recently took over the care of his mother, who requires full time-care and attention. He is married and has two small children.

Laura Saunders received the "George T. Webber Award," in honor of George T. Webber, a former American government teacher at T.C. Williams High School, known for his commitment to inspiring and motivating youth regardless of race, creed or color. Ms. Saunders, a third grade teacher at George Mason Elementary School, has been teaching in the Alexandria Public School system for more than nine years. The school superintendent, Dr. Herbert Berg, wrote of Ms. Saunders: "She is one of those rare individuals who was truly born to teach. She provides excellent instruction while forming meaningful relationships with her students." Laura holds a master's degree in special education and strives to place special education students into regular classrooms. Recently, she developed a Saturday morning tutoring program at the Charles Houston Recreation Center. Twelve students come regularly to benefit from her assistance and support. Ms. Saunders also worked with the librarian at the center to create a lending library for neig
hborhood families. She wrote a grant proposal to the 7-Eleven Corporation and was given the funds to expand the library to include other important materials besides books. Ms. Saunders believes in outreach. She often walks through the Charles Houston community with other teachers and the principal to greet the families and encourage their attendance at PTA events and other school activities. In her spare time, she is a volunteer at the Carpenter's Shelter and likes to participate in races for brain cancer research, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the MS Foundation.

The Alexandria Jaycees is a leadership training organization whose members range from ages 21 to 39. Awards are given to individuals between the ages of 21 and 39 who are clearly making a difference in the Alexandria community. Since 1940, the organization provides numerous volunteers services to the Alexandria community as well as opportunities for members to enhance their management and personal development skills.