Pleasant Hill toasts city/park employees, nonprofits
PLEASANT HILL, CA (Apr. 18, 2024) — On May 2, the Pleasant Hill Community Foundation (PHCF) will recognize nonprofits improving the quality of life in the area, as well as honoring two employees with the city and park district whose individual efforts had made the community a better place.
The PHCF will spotlight those organizations and individuals 5-7 p.m. in the McHale Room of the Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Dr.
City planner Troy Fujimoto will receive the Oliver Holmes Award as the outstanding Pleasant Hill employee for 2024, while the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District’s Holmes Award honoree is facilities and rental manager Ryan Harriman.
“Troy Fujimoto is a tremendous help to the council, city staff and overall community,” said Pleasant Hill Mayor Matt Rinn. “Troy has gone above and beyond to help the citizens with an approach of ‘How can we make this work and collaborate efforts to accomplish projects for the needs of the community?’ ”
Harriman, who will mark 11 years with the park district in August, voiced excitement for being nominated and receiving the award.
“I am very humbled and appreciative of my peers and community members for choosing me,” he said, adding that the honor “came out of left field.”
“Overall, I am excited to win something,” he said.
Harriman started as facilities coordinator and then oversaw special events. For the past five years, he has been in building maintenance.
Fujimoto and Harriman will receive $1,000 stipends in recognition for their service to the community.
Honoring Oliver Holmes
The Oliver Holmes Awards were established in 2006, named for Oliver Holmes. He was very active in Pleasant Hill, serving on the first Recreation & Park District board and later on the City Council and East Bay Regional Park District board before he died in 2007. He was one of the founders of the Pleasant Hill Community Foundation.
Also on the May program is recognition of various nonprofits with community grants. Awardees are: Pleasant Hill elementary schools, specifically Strandwood, Gregory Gardens, Sequoia, Pleasant Hill and Vahalla; Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center; Pleasant Hill 4th of July Commission; Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District; Choice in Aging; and We Care Services for Children.
In the past, the PHCF has extended support to the Pleasant Hill Library and Monument Crisis Center, among other entities. The group also does outreach with local businesses during the year, with donations going back into the community by typically sustaining grants for the full year.
As part of the May 2 event, proceeds from raffle tickets will also be invested into the community through future PHCF grants. Tickets are $5 each, or attendees can buy an arm length for $20.
Next month’s gathering will include the presentation of the foundation’s Cornerstone Award that has been given out periodically since 2000. This year, they will posthumously honor Holmes.
Former recipients have included Jason and Kathy Olson/2022, John Matthesen and the DVC Culinary Arts Program/2021, Hal Jeffreys/2020, Jeff Clark/2018-’19, Jim Utz/2017, Bob Berggren/2016 and Dawn Block and Michael Harris/2015.
David Scholz
David Scholz is back in journalism as a freelance writer and photographer after nearly two decades in education. Prior to moving into teaching in 2000, he worked as a full-time journalist since 1988 for rural community and small daily newspapers in Central Ohio and Northern Nevada, and later in California with The Business Journal in Fresno and dailies in the Bay Area, including The Oakland Tribune and The San Francisco Chronicle. More recently Scholz also worked in an editing, writing, and page layout role with the Rossmoor News.