My friend Jeannie Malik was recognized as the Atascadero Citizen of the Year by the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce on Saturday night at the Annual Awards Dinner. A sellout crowd filled the Pavilion on the Lake for the event and gave Jeannie a standing ovation when she received her award.
Jeannie was a single parent for some years, raising her three children, Tyler, Travis, and Michelle. With degrees in dental science from Allan Hancock College and Fresno State University, she worked as a registered dental assistant to support her family. It won't surprise you to know that she was a Cub Scout leader and Boy Scout leader for years, as well as a PTA member, a school volunteer, and chairman of numerous school events.
Jeannie later met and married Greg Malik and joined Greg's Atascadero Real Estate Group as the Marketing Manager, which turned out to be a new career for her. In her spare time, however, she has been instrumental in making Atascadero a better place, making a positive impact on hundreds of North County residents. She has been at the helm of the Committee for Atascadero Public Schools (CAPS), Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and Dancing With Our Stars.
When not at the helm, she has helped steer the ship as a Friends of the Atascadero Library Vice President, is a devoted Atascadero Quota International club member, served on the Chamber's Women in Business Board of Directors, is a Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County Women's Legacy Fund Legacy Leader, and serves on K Jons' Advisory Board.
Jeannie's creative talent shines through in her producing skills with Dancing With Our Stars. She became Event Chairman and Producer in 2012 and has taken the event to new heights.
She has reached out and touched people in the best of all possible ways, whether by moral support, financial support, or creating a pathway for a dream to move forward.
I have worked with Jeannie on many projects and committees through the years and I'm proud to call her Atascadero's Citizen of the Year 2018 and my friend! She is definitely my "Community Hero" for this week!
Here's a save the date for your March calendar and I'm thrilled to announce it. Our wonderful Atascadero Community Band is presenting a concert on Sunday, March 3, from 3-5 p.m., at Atascadero Bible Church 6225 Atascadero Ave., Atascadero. Admission, refreshments, and parking are free.
The concert will benefit our Coats for Kids of San Luis Obispo County, providing funds for warm coats and jackets to be distributed in Paso Robles and Atascadero in December of this year. The distributions will cover families from San Miguel to Santa Margarita and other outlying areas of the North County.
Although the concert is free, you will have the opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation that will go directly toward the purchase of coats, jackets, sweaters, and sweatshirts for Coats for Kids.
I'll keep you posted on the concert program as we get closer to March. The way "time flies" it will be here before we know it!
A little closer in time is the Murder Mystery Dinner coming up on Saturday, Feb. 9, starting at 6:30 p.m., at Atascadero Community Church Hall 5859 Rosario, Atascadero, for the benefit of the rehabilitation of the Atascadero Printery Building.
The five-course dinner will be prepared by Chef Antonio Varia, owner of Buona Tavola in Paso Robles. Tickets are $100 per person and include dinner, live-theater entertainment, and a glass of fine wine, and are available online at AtascaderoPrintery.org or at The Hope Chest Emporium, 5800 El Camino Real, Atascadero. Seating is limited so get those tickets right away.
For more information, call 805-466-1961.
I love stories like this following one. Tom's Toys, located at 682 Higuera Street, in San Luis Obispo, donated $1000 of holiday sales to Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County. When Tom's Toys owner Ted Frankel became a Big Brother more than 40 years ago, he had no idea of the impact his decision would make on his life. Ted was there when his Little Brother graduated from high school and college and attended his wedding years later. Now, his Little Brother, a successful accountant has a family of his own.
Don't forget the Tamale Festival in the Sunken Gardens in Atascadero this weekend. There will be all kinds of tamales, great entertainment, and activities for the whole family. The event is free to attend, but bring your wallet for those tamales! See you there.