2009 Spark Awards Recognize Residents for their Contributions to the Community

Glendale recognized neighborhood leaders, community volunteers and businesses that have contributed to their community and improved the quality of the city’s neighborhoods with the Spark Awards.

The awards, which were presented Saturday, are given annually to those individuals who ‘spark’ their communities into action. The Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Neighborhoods presented Spark Awards in the following six categories:

• Young Leaders on the Move: Jacob Janson earned his Eagle Scout badge at the young age of 14. Jacob recruited 50 volunteers to help paint house numbers on the curbs in several neighborhoods in the Sahuaro District.
• Business Support & Involvement:  Stan Grossman is the owner of the Glendale Pawn & Jewelry in Glendale and has been a long-time supporter of the youth, teen and community programs at the Glendale Community Center in the Ocotillo District.
• Community Partner: Both Allison Martin and Gwen Marshall help Glendale residents with the basic needs that many of us take for granted. These two women work with The Salvation Army of Glendale to provide food boxes, utilities assistance, clothing and many other services to city residents.
• Neighborhood Revitalization: Christine O’Hara is a resident of the Floralcroft Neighborhood in the Ocotillo District, where she has lived since 1987. She has been the driving force behind establishing the Floralcroft Historical Society to revitalize this unique neighborhood. She applied for two different improvement grants for her neighborhood and spends hours making her neighborhood a safer place to live.
• Traditional Neighborhood Leadership:  Danielle Martinez is the neighborhood leader for the Thunderbird Palms/Hickory Shadows neighborhood in the Sahuaro District. She hosts meetings at her home and has been active in obtaining a neighborhood grant for park improvements.
• HOA Leadership:  Bob Richards is the vice president of the Arrowhead Ranch Phase II HOA in the Cholla District and he has actively supported neighborhood events and other city programs. He has attended many of the city’s civic education classes.