Premios al voluntariado comunitario

Has everybody here seen the great movie, "It's a Wonderful Life"? It's about a guy who gets an incredible gift: he gets to see how the world would have been different if he had never been born.

As George Bailey moves through the story he gets to learn about all the lives he has touched and all the contributions he made to his community. In the end he finds out that it really has been a wonderful life, after all.

The Rancho Cordovan of the Year award is a little bit like that. Tonight we get to tell Joe Gilbert about all the lives he has touched and all the valuable contributions he has made to his community - Because that is the hallmark of a winner of this most prestigious award.

When you meet Joe Gilbert you will probably find a guy with a big smile on his face and an outstretched hand to shake. He's a guy's guy, the kind you know immediately would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Likely as not, his wife Heidi would be with him, because they have one of those great partnership marriages, and while Joe is a great guy, Heidi sure is a big part of that.

You might think they are just a nice couple of Rancho Cordovans, and you would be right, but that's only part of the story.

Somewhere along the line, Joe joined up with the Rancho Cordova Kiwanis Club and for a lot of us, that's where we first saw proof of Joe's giving nature.

When it is time to stuff Thanksgiving baskets for the needy, Joe is there. When it is time to flip pancakes for a needy cause, count on Joe. Need a Key Club advisor? You got it – Joe. In fact Joe is part of all the great Kiwanis efforts: Breakfast with Santa, Kids Day, you name it. For all of this he has been honored as Kiwanian of the Year three times and has been club president three times, as well.

But of all the Kiwanis Club projects, organizing the Fourth of July parade is the biggest task. And there is Joe, out in front.

When you show up for our Fourth of July Parade, you probably aren't thinking about what it took to pull it together. Somebody has to make all the arrangements to shut down a busy street, clear the streets, recruit participants, get them organized, staged and ready to go at the right moment. You have to do this in Rancho Cordova on a day that is likely to be 100 degrees with about 10,000 people watching. No wonder every year Joe says it is his last – even though he must know it has to do it all over a year later.

Joe is the guy lugging the signs, carting around traffic barriers, hauling cones and running up and down the parade route trying to keep the show moving while keeping everybody safe.

This gift to our community is enjoyed by people of all ages, all colors, all backgrounds and all income levels. It is the one time each year our community truly comes together to express our patriotism and Rancho Cordova spirit, and very few people give much thought about how it all comes together.

Here's how fellow Kiwanian Don Wenig put it in nominating Joe for this award:

"No one has worked harder, for longer, with great success, to make the 4th of July parade the kick off to Rancho's signature celebration."

True, and Joe, we thank you for it all.

But when it comes to Joe Gilbert, putting on a parade of more than 100 participants for 10,000 viewers is just the beginning.