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Consumer/Client: Virginia Rangel
Virginia Rangel (left) and 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). Virginia Rangel received the award because she is a role model for others, and because her example increases awareness about the gifts and talents of people with disabilities. An employee of Home Depot for the past 17 years, Rangel lives independently. She helped start and is president of People First in Orange County. Through People First, she has been a leader in promoting self-advocacy for people with developmental disabilities and has helped to build a sense of community and political awareness among many of her peers. |
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Parent or Family Member: Eric and Meri Smalstig
Eric (left) and Meri (center) Smalstig and 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). Parents of a young child with autism, the Smalstigs were honored for being role models for other parents of children with special needs. Striving each day to make their son’s life better and more rewarding, they collaborate effectively with his team at school, their RCOC service coordinator and the service providers who work with their son. |
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Lifetime Achievement: Cathy DeMello
Cathy DeMello (left), with 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (center) and Sam Durbin (right). Cathy DeMello was honored for her dedication to principles of self-determination, community involvement, and personal responsibility for people with disabilities. Her career has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to supporting people with disabilities in making their own life decisions. |
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E. Kurt Yeager Servant Leadership Award: Jud Robert
Jud Robert (left) with 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). Jud Robert was honored for his many years of service as a volunteer member of RCOC’s Board of Directors and for his ongoing work on numerous RCOC initiatives and board committees. Jud’s commitment to the RCOC mission and his utmost respect for people with developmental disabilities and their families was evident in his work on the Board and in his interactions with fellow Board members, RCOC staff, the vendor community, and most importantly, with the individuals served by RCOC. |
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Volunteer: Bonnie Gillman
Bonnie Gillman (left) and 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). Bonnie Gillman was honored for her work in founding the Grandparent Autism Network (GAN) which helps to inform grandparents about autism and the issues that affect their families, as well as her efforts through GAN to prevent bullying of those with disabilities, and collaboration with RCOC on developing work opportunities for people with developmental disabilities, for example. |
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Professional Achievement: Gail Fernandez
Gail Fernandez (left) and 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). Gail Fernandez was honored for her efforts to improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities through her work as a psychiatrist at UCI Medical Center. |
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Frontline: Khanh Truong
Khanh Truong (left) and 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). Khanh Truong was recognized for providing job coach support to people with developmental disabilities for the past 14 years, and for his work as a mentor to new job coaches. |
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Employer: Home Depot/Huntington Beach
Home Depot Store Manager MaryAnn Stratman (left) and 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). Home Depot/Huntington Beach was honored for providing integrated job opportunities to workers with disabilities and setting an outstanding example for others in Orange County. |
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Living Options Vendor: Independent Endeavors
Janice Retz (left), founder and director of Independent Endeavors, and 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). Independent Endeavors was honored for the excellence of its management and staff who have provided independent living and supported living services to people with developmental disabilities in Orange County since 1992. |
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Community Partnership: Congregation Shir Ha-Ma’Alot
Rabbi Richard Steinberg (left) and Synagogue Co-President Sharon Blinell (right) with 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (center). Shir Ha-Ma’a lot, which has an inclusion specialist on staff, was honored for its efforts to help its congregants with disabilities to contribute and participate fully in their religious community. |
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Support Services Vendor: Project Independence day programs
Associate Director of Day & Behavioral Supports Bob Watson (left) and 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). Project Independence was honored for the agency’s commitment to quality and for its efforts to help people with even the most significant disabilities to find jobs and succeed in the workplace. |
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RCOC Achievement: Maria Gonzales
Maria Gonzales (left) and 2009 RCOC Board Chairman Chris Dubia (right). A service coordinator who has been with RCOC for 17 years, Maria Gonzales assists families in accessing services and supports for their children through RCOC. She was honored for her outstanding skills, dedication and advocacy on behalf of children with developmental disabilities, especially those in Orange County’s Latino community. |
