Are they only those who repeatedly appear in the headlines? Or, perhaps, those who devote their lives bravely and selflessly--but silently--outside the limelight?
The Mid-Peninsula has many such people who are quietly committing acts of heroism on a daily basis. The Media Center honors six of these unsung heroes from our service area. The winners are showcased in a series of interviews which appear on this webpage and will air on cable TV during February. Click on their names below to jump to their videos, or watch the 1/2 hour highlight show including excerpts from all six interviews. You can expand the player to full screen size by clicking on the rectangle icon at the bottom of the video player.
Fred Pramann is co-founder of a Menlo Park Presbyterian support group for families of the mentally ill.
Marina Latu organized the Live in Peace March and Rally in East Palo Alto.
Alicia Bena has overcome the considerable challenges of Kneist Syndrome and gone on to contribute many hours of community service.
Eileen Richardson is the director of the Downtown Streets Team, a non-profit that employs the homeless to help keep the streets of downtown Palo Alto clean, while helping them to find housing and jobs.
Catalino Tapia is a Mexican immigrant and gardener who has set up a non-profit organization that gives scholarships to local immigrant high school students.
Craig Weisner & Derrick Kikuchi gave up lucrative high-tech consulting jobs to create "Reach and Teach" which develops and promotes socially conscious educational products.
How our Local Heroes were Selected
Nominations for the Local Heroes Award were solicited from the public. A Media Center committee selected the winners based on several criteria. In addition to outstanding achievement or contribution to the community, we were looking for people with engaging stories to tell for our televised series. We also chose people who would reflect the enormous diversity of our communities. Our winners vary in age, gender, ethnicity, geographical location, profession or field of interest, and type of contribution.
Louise Pencavel is our interviewer for our Local Heroes honorees. Watch a 1/2 hour program of highlights from all winners
Fred Pramann is co-founder of a Menlo Park Presbyterian support group for families of the mentally ill.
Marina Latu organized the Live in Peace March and Rally in East Palo Alto.
Alicia Bena has overcome the considerable challenges of Kneist Syndrome and gone on to contribute many hours of community service.
Eileen Richardson is the director of the Downtown Streets Team, a non-profit that employs the homeless to help keep the streets of downtown Palo Alto clean, while helping them to find housing and jobs.
Catalino Tapia is a Mexican immigrant and gardener who has set up a non-profit organization that gives scholarships to local immigrant high school students.
Craig Weisner & Derrick Kikuchi gave up lucrative high-tech consulting jobs to create "Reach and Teach" which develops and promotes socially conscious educational products.
900 San Antonio Rd. • Palo Alto,
CA 94303-4917 • 650-494-8686 • info@midpenmedia.org
