The Arvada Chamber of Commerce continues its tradition of honoring business leaders that enrich the City of Arvada through their selfless involvement in the community. The 60th Annual Man and Woman of the Year award luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, May 12, 2011 at the Arvada Center.
The award winners are nominated for their involvement with service or volunteer organizations, their length of community involvement, the personal sacrifices they make and the people they serve. The Arvada Chamber’s selection committee picks two leaders to win the prestigious Man and Woman of the Year Award. This year, they also selected a Pioneer Award winner for an enduring commitment to the welfare of the Arvada community over an extended period of time, an Image Award winner for work that extends beyond the Arvada community, and two Outstanding Volunteers of the Year Awards.
”The Arvada Chamber has a long history of involvement in the local community landscape, because we believe a thriving, strong community leads to thriving, strong businesses,” said Arvada Chamber president Dot Wright. “This year’s award winners exemplify the power of community: businesses will find more success and resiliency with the strength of many rather than as individuals.”
Awards will be presented to the following community professionals:
- Man of the Year – Tom Jacobsen with Sportline for his efforts the past 32 years supporting high school students, the Arvada Community Food Bank, Ralston House and Arvada Jefferson Kiwanis. Read more about Tom below…
- Woman of the Year – Ereka O’Hara with REMAX/Alliance for her many contributions to Arvada organizations including spearheading the Children’s Charity fundraising ball and involvement with Arvada Jefferson Kiwanis, Arvada Chamber of Commerce and the Arvada Council for the Arts and Humanities. Read more about Ereka below…
- Pioneer Award - Ken Fellman with Kissinger and Fellman, P.C. for his past work as Arvada Mayor and City Council member, and his involvement with the Arvada Community Food Bank, PeaceJam, Kiwanis and the Arvada Fire Protection District’s Blue Ribbon Committee. Read more about Ken below…
- Image Award – Kathy Foos with the Arvada Police Department for founding the non-profit organization Angels Unaware to provide support and encouragement for children and families living with or affected by AIDS/HIV throughout the Metro Denver area. Read more about Kathy below…
- Volunteers of the Year – Dudley and Jody Weiland for their volunteer work with organizations including the Majestic View Nature Center, creating a traveling wildlife exhibit for schoolchildren, various clean-up projects, and chair positions on the Arvada Festivals Commission. Read more about Dudley and Jody below…
The luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, May 12, 2011 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Arvada Center at 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. Tickets cost $45 per person. To RSVP or learn about sponsorship opportunities, call the Arvada Chamber at 303-424-0313 or e-mail Denise@ArvadaChamber.org.
Tom Jacobsen
Man of the Year – Tom Jacobsen
Tom Jacobsen has been an important part of Sportline, which has been in the community for over 32 years, quietly going about his work, making Sportline an important part of the community. Under his direction on the sales floor, Sportline has employed more two hundred high school students over the years providing many of them their first job and teaching them about customer service, the importance of getting to work on time, how to work with other employees and how to have fun at work, habits that they can use for a lifetime. Not only has Tom trained them, he has also been there as a mentor providing advice on life all while pushing them to excel with their education, sports, and other extra-curricular activities. Tom has also been open to students seeking advice about entrepreneurship and what it takes to grow a small business. He frequently gives students tours of Sportline and explains how the business works. Tom is a very trustworthy man that helps out whenever he is needed.
Tom knows that giving back to the community is important and feels that Sportline is successful because of the Arvada community. Support from Sportline to various organizations such as Arvada Community Food Bank, Ralston House and Kiwanis with sponsorships, donations, etc. An example of this is when the Arvada Center was in need of props for a play Tom allowed them to use equipment from Sportline.
Tom can also be found volunteering around the community at numerous different charities. Tom has been a member of Arvada Jefferson Kiwanis since 1987 and served as the President of club in 2005 and 2006. He presently serves on the Arvada Economic Development Association Retention Committee. He volunteers his time by attending meetings, identifying important businesses in the community and visiting those businesses to make sure they are happy in Arvada. He does this because of his desire to keep Arvada a strong and viable community. He has an easy going manner and connects with these businesses in a very personable way.
He has been on the Susan Duncan YMCA (previously Northwest YMCA) Board of Advisors for 15 plus years. He serves on the Ralston House .5K fundraising Committee. He not only supports these causes monetarily, but he gives of his time too. He shows up for early morning meetings with a smile. His care and concern for the community, particularly the youth in our community, is notable.
Ereka O'Hara
Woman of the Year – Ereka O’Hara
Ereka O’hara was born in Germany and immigrated to the US when she was 5. She grew up in Bismack, ND and moved to Arvada in 1973 where she raised her family. She became a realtor in 1982 and as a working mother she still found time to be involved in the community. She served on various committees for the board for the Jefferson County Association of Realtors early in her career, and later sat on the board of the Arvada Jefferson Kiwanis, Children’s Charity, and the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Arvada Council for the Arts and Humanities. When the entire board of the Children’s Charity resigned, their annual Charity Ball was in jeopardy. Ereka stepped in with no experience, and hit the challenge head-on. She gathered a new board, rallied the troops and ran the Charity Ball for three years. She raised over $100,000 for the Arvada Center Accessibility Program and the Arvada Child Advocacy Center (now Ralston House).
In 2010 she was the Chairman of the board for the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. In that role, she successfully re-established the Government Affairs Committee, Community Affairs Committee, and Community Development Committee. She has also chaired the Annual Dinner for the past two years.
Ereka is still involved with the Kiwanis group, and has run their highway cleanup effort for ten years, worked in Santa’s Workshop, and helped with all of their fundraisers. Ereka is a “go to” person. She just gets things done. She has been a mentor and role model to professional women, as well as to her children.
Pioneer Award Winner – Ken Fellman
Ken Fellman is best known throughout Arvada for the work he did as Mayor (1999-2007) and as a member of City Council (1993-1999); but his deep involvement in the community began prior to his political career and has extended well beyond his service as an elected official. Ken served on the North Jeffco Foundation Board, the Arvada Planning Commission and on the Board of the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. He continues to serve the community through his work with organizations such as the Arvada Community Food Bank, PeaceJam, Kiwanis and the Arvada Fire Protection District’s Blue Ribbon Committee. He served as co-chair of the Arvada Community Food Bank’s capital campaign, which raised more than $400,000 and facilitated the Food Bank’s move to the old Arvada Library site. Ken also served as co-chair of the first two PeaceJam Annual Fundraising Luncheons (2009 and 2010).
Ken was recently appointed to serve on the Arvada Charter Review Committee – a group that assembles every 10 years to ensure that the city charter properly reflects the needs of the residents and lays the groundwork for a healthy future. He was co-chair of the bi-partisan mill levy and bond campaign for Jefferson County Schools in 2008. The Jeffco Schools election effort is reflective of one of Ken’s deepest commitments – the well-being of our community’s children. He regularly visits schools, scout and church groups, and youth sports organizations. Ken serves as president of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, the national trade association representing local government that promotes community interests in telecommunications.
In 2007, Ken was appointed to Colorado Governor Bill Ritter’s Innovation Council, designed in part to increase deployment and adoption of broadband technology throughout the state. Governor Ritter subsequently appointed him to the Colorado Channel Authority, the quasi-governmental entity that manages the channel that televises Colorado House and Senate proceedings. Ken has been practicing law since 1981, and he has been a partner of Kissinger & Fellman P.C. since 1989. He is also an adjunct professor, teaching Telecommunications Law and Policy, at the University of Colorado Law School. He has written articles about the communications issues facing local governments, and he has been quoted in numerous national publications on these topics. He and his wife, Jill, have lived in Arvada for 24 years, where they raised their two children, Dan and Sara.
Image Award Winner – Kathy Foos
Katherine A. Foos was raised in Mitchell, Nebraska. She graduated from Mitchell High School, and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice/Political Science from Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. Following graduation, she worked for a short time as a patrol officer in Gering, Nebraska. In 1983, she was hired as a police officer for the Arvada Police Department (APD), working first in patrol and later in special investigations, where she focused on vice crimes. Kathy was promoted to Sergeant in 1996. She was instrumental in creating Arvada’s “Trouble Traffic Task Force,” working with neighborhoods to address ongoing traffic issues. During this time, Kathy coordinated APD’s work with radio station KYGO’s “Christmas Crusade for Children” to help provide holiday gifts for children from Arvada families in need. In 2003, she was promoted to Commander – only the second female Commander in APD’s history.
In 1989, Kathy suffered a terrible personal loss with the death of her younger sister. Tragically, Kathy’s two year old niece, Clarice, was left without her mother. The situation was even more challenging due to the fact that Clarice suffered from the HIV/AIDS virus. Undaunted, Kathy stepped up and cared for Clarice until Clarice’s own passing in 1993 at the age of six. During the years she cared for Clarice, she learned first-hand that those affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis faced enormous hurdles. She realized few services were available to help ease the crushing burdens faced by the victims of HIV/AIDS and their families. To meet this challenge, and to honor Clarice, Kathy helped found an Arvada-based non-profit organization, Angels Unaware, in 1992. Its mission is to provide support and encouragement for children and families living with or affected by AIDS/HIV. Kathy and Angels Unaware have for many years partnered with Aspen Mortuary, a prominent Arvada business, to assist these families.
Among the services that Angels Unaware now offers are monthly support group meetings and other activities and outings in the Denver area. In addition, Angels Unaware sponsors an all-expenses paid summer family camp, known as Camp Ray-Ray, in the Colorado mountains. At Camp Ray-Ray, families affected by HIV/AIDS relax through horseback riding, hiking, swimming, doing crafts, playing games, and many other activities In doing so, they receive a much needed and well deserved respite from the daily worries of dealing with HIV/AIDS.
Kathy is an active member of the community. Since 2004, she has served as a member of the Wheat Ridge Housing Authority Board. After nearly two decades of service to the non-profit she founded, Kathy continues to work tirelessly for Angels Unaware, currently serving as co-President of the organization. Right now, she is busy planning the 2011 Camp Ray-Ray, to be held in September. Kathy’s hard work and dedication continue to uplift hundreds of families from Jefferson and Adams County as well as throughout the Rocky Mountain West.
Kathy is “mission-driven” in her professional and personal life. She has been a valuable and respected member of APD for over twenty-five years, and has, for nearly twenty years, brought comfort and joy into the lives of many Arvada residents through her work with Angels Unaware.
Outstanding Volunteers Award – Dudley & Jody Weiland
Dudley and Jody Weiland have been residents of Arvada since 1963. Both were teachers for many years and have retired within the last 10 years. Dudley taught in Arvada schools for 35 years and is still involved at Peck Elementary school by volunteering to maintain the xeriscape garden that he began for his students and the school many years ago. Jody taught in the Denver Public schools for about 30 years and was a tutor in Arvada for several years after retiring.
Over the years, they have both been involved in many activities in Arvada. Dudley worked with the city of Arvada to help develop their recycling program and improve the environment. They have bought, planted and watered a number of trees in several of the parks in Arvada.
In 2010, their dedication to Arvada continued. They are active volunteers at the Majestic View Nature Center, where they spend considerable time teaching classes and helping to improve the center. “The Weiland’s have been valuable in the overall development, promotion and ultimate success of Arvada’s Majestic View Nature Center, spreading our environmental education mission,” says Karen Miller, Nature Center Director. Besides developing and teaching programs, their financial support via donations and volunteer hours are crucial to the operation of the Center. They also created an educational traveling exhibit featuring Colorado’s wildlife that has been enjoyed by thousands of students and citizens over the years, circulating this impressive display in elementary schools, recreation centers and libraries. They also volunteer to clean up a 1.5 mile stretch of Oberon Road and pick up trash in that area several times each week. They also continue to be on the Arvada Festivals Commission. As members of that organization, they have chaired the successful Arvada kite festival each spring. They spend many hours in organizing the festival, which drew several thousand people in 2010. They also help out at the Arvada July 4th celebration. Jody was secretary of the Festivals Commission in 2010.
This past year, Dudley donated an old tractor that he had bought to the city parks and is at the “farm park” in town for children to see what farm life is like. Jody and Dudley also volunteer at St. Anne’s Church, helping out with funerals. Outside of Arvada, Dudley and Jody, are active volunteers with the Denver Zoo.
