Neighborhood Awards Program
2006 Award Winners
 Neighborhood
Events/Community Building Award Villages of
Eastridge a 900 home community located near Baseline
and Crismon. The judges praised the Women’s Association in the
Villages of Eastridge (The WAVE) for three different programs: a
$500 scholarship made available to a Villages of Eastridge high school
senior graduating in the class of 2006; a weekly summer reading program
which included a story hour filled with picture books, story tellers and
puppets; and a holiday concert and lighting contest.
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Neighborhood
Public Safety Award
Comite'de Familias, located
in west Mesa. Led by Carmen Guerrero, the neighborhood was registered
with the City of Mesa in 2000. A Block Watch program was formed for
residents with the assistance of the Mesa Police Department. Crime
reduction immediately fell from 30 calls per month to two or three calls
per month. Comite’ de Familias has also formed partnerships with local
businesses, churches and non-profit organizations and has worked to
assist and represent the Hispanic community. |
Margie Frost
Advocacy and Organization Award Casa Mia Neighborhood, located in east Mesa. Led by Michelle Ortiz, the neighborhood was
recognized for its monthly newsletter and for partnering with numerous
City departments, including Neighborhood Outreach, Code Compliance and
Transportation. Casa Mia, which was annexed into the City in the mid
1990’s, has started long-term planning. The plans include landscaping
improvements along Baseline Road in front of the community and painting
houses in disrepair of residents who may be unable to do it themselves.
The award was renamed in 2006 for Margie Frost, who worked for more than
three decades with Mesa non-profit organizations as an advocate for the
poor and underprivileged. Known as the “Mom of Mesa” she was appointed
in 1998 as Director of the East Valley Men’s Center, an agency dedicated
to helping single men become
self-sufficient and re-enter society as contributing members.
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 Neighborhood Beautification Award
Dartmouth Trace, a community of
118 condos on May Street in west Mesa. Using a PRIDE grant from the
City of Mesa, volunteers gathered on October 7, 2006 to plant
low-watering plants and provide other landscaping at the front entrance
to the complex. The impact of the activity led to a holiday party,
increased attendance at the association board meetings and interest in
applying for another City PRIDE grant for a more ambitious project
involving Dartmouth Trace. |
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 Virginia
M. Lamb Award
Beverly (Bev) Tittle-Baker,
Bev has been recognized for her work as a tireless volunteer, leadership
skills, ability to get others involved and for being a role model to
others. In 1994, she founded the CARE Partnership (Community Asset and
Resource Enterprise), a grassroots organization that brings together
individuals and organizations that share their time, knowledge and
resources to improve the life conditions of others. She has been active
with the Water tower Improvement Neighborhood, registered with the City
in 2002. Bev received national recognition in 2006 as one of 10
recipients of the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leadership
Program award for her work in establishing and developing the CARE
Partnership.
The award for neighborhood leadership was created in
memory of Virginia Lamb, a long-time Mesa resident and leader of the
North Center Revitalization Association (NCRA). Virginia was known for
her dedication to the improvement of her neighborhood and unshakable
faith in the power of people working together to create positive change. |
2005 Award Winners
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