Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
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Most Excellent Elena Anderson wins award for her service to Sunnyvale By Jana Seshadri When Sunnyvale Mayor Fred Fowler was given the opportunity to present the Award of Excellence to a person of his choice at the annual state of the city event on May 25, he didn't have to think twice about choosing the recipient. "I knew all along who I would present the award to," Fowler said. The mayor's choice was Elena Anderson, a longtime resident of Lakewood Village. "I'm very happy and pleased," Anderson said as she carefully lifted the engraved award from its place of importance on the mantel in her home and showed it. A 22-year resident of Lakewood Village, Anderson has worked to set an example of caring for her community, said Fowler, also a Lakewood Village resident. "Elena is a natural leader and a tireless volunteer," said Craig Crawford, president of the Lakewood Village Neighborhood Association. There's not a single event in her community that Anderson's not a part of, according to her neighbors, who all speak highly of her. From the volunteer appreciation night in February to the holiday parade in December, Anderson does it all, sometimes single handedly. Elena Anderson and her husband, Melvin, have made their neighborhood monthly newsletter, the Villager, possible for the past six years, Fowler said. The Villager contains information about the neighborhood, letters from residents, details about upcoming events and ads from local businesses. According to the Villager, residents will soon be able to access the neighborhood association's website, which is under construction. Elena Anderson said she picks up the newsletter from the editor and takes it to the printer to have 1,700 copies of the eight-page paper printed. She then divides the whole set into two—one set for the Fairwood side and the other for the Lakewood side of Lakewood Village. "I have 30 volunteers deliver the newsletter to all the 1,600 homes, door-to-door," Anderson said. "If one of them is sick, I deliver them myself." Extra copies are saved for events and visitors, and she added they haven't missed a single copy in the last six years. To give all the volunteers their due credit and recognition, Anderson organizes a volunteer appreciation night every February. "It's a great way to communicate with the neighborhood residents," she said. According to Anderson, one of her most satisfying and challenging experiences has been organizing the annual picnic every year, which is set for Sept. 14 this year. She approaches local stores for food donations and contributions, while the neighborhood association provides the basics like meat and drinks. She organizes activities for youngsters as well as the elderly at the picnic, so everyone is encouraged to attend and have fun. "My goal is to bring residents of all ages to the picnic," Elena said. "Sometimes it's hard to do." According to Fowler, Anderson's work and organization behind the scenes make every event a success. "She is the heart and soul of the neighborhood association," he said. "Elena is a wonderful person—a tremendous asset to the neighborhood," said Tom Freeman, secretary of the neighborhood association. Born in Colorado, Anderson moved to the Bay Area when she was a young teenager and to Sunnyvale 22 years ago. Her only daughter lives in Palo Alto and her 21-year-old grandson lives with her in Sunnyvale. Married for almost 25 years to Melvin, Elena said the secret to their marriage is making compromises and supporting each other. Having worked in the electronics industry for several years, Elena quit her job a few years ago and now spends all her time serving her community. "I love people—and I like to help people," she said. Another event that Anderson helps organize is the annual holiday parade every December, which also features a holiday lighting contest. Several residents dress up in holiday costumes and enjoy the festivities. Even though the city of Sunnyvale organizes extra-garbage months every year, the neighborhood association does a little more for their residents in terms of trash, with a lot of help from both elder Andersons. According to Freeman, an annual "dumpster" weekend—July 20 & 21 this year—enabled people in Lakewood Village to clean out their homes and yards. The city places the dumpsters all over the neighborhood and picks them all up at the end of the weekend. "The city of Sunnyvale pays for about 15 to 20 dumpsters in the neighborhood," Freeman said. Elena and Melvin Anderson coordinate the event with the city and ensure it runs smoothly every year. There are always last-minute questions that come up from residents about whether or not they can dump their refrigerator or what to do with their television set, she said. "Sometimes residents don't have the money to take their stuff out to outside dumps," Elena Anderson said. "This helps the community clean up." Several youngsters have approached her about organizing sports teams in their neighborhood and a possibility she's exploring. "I like to talk to teenagers and find out what they want, what they like," Anderson said. "I think it's important to have input from the young people." The younger kids would like soccer teams and the teenagers want basketball, she explained. As a first step to assessing interest about youth sports, Anderson said she would write about it in the monthly newsletter and wait for responses. She hopes eventually neighborhood sports would be popular enough so that neighborhoods teams could compete, much like schools. Lately she has been also been approached by seniors in the neighborhood, who need help with errands and chores. "I usually help [the seniors] on my own," Anderson said. "Whenever someone is sick or needs to go to the doctor, I take them." If she cannot help anyone herself, then she finds someone else to do it. But, this time its not just a few people, Anderson admitted. More and more people require help either in their homes or with outside errands, which they cannot afford to pay for, she said. Recognizing that this situation needs more looking into than just a few volunteers, Anderson decided to consult with Fowler. "Fred is always there for me—to help me out," Anderson said. There are liability concerns about getting an organized group of volunteers to help people on a regular basis, Fowler explained. "I'm trying to coordinate with insurance industry experts on how best to advice her on this issue," Fowler said. Currently serving the neighborhood association as second vice-president, Anderson has never been president and doesn't intend to be. "I've been trying to persuade Elena to be president but she doesn't want any attention to herself," Fowler said. Elena responded that she is not the kind of person to get up in front of people and speak, adding she's very shy. However, much to the neighborhood's benefit, Elena does not let her shyness keep her from helping out. According to Crawford, even though the neighborhood association has been in existence since the 1950s under different names, it was first established in the late 1980s, and Elena has been a board member in 1995. "Elena is the very backbone of the neighborhood association," Freeman said. "[The Anderson's] continued presence gives the association its stability." Elena's volunteerism is not restricted to the Lakewood Village community. She helps the League of Women Voters by keeping the required election registration forms in her home to help register potential voters. Her Spanish-language skills also come in handy whenever non-English speaking residents need help with translations. Even though she doesn't have any political aspirations, Elena helps out the elected officials whenever she can. "I helped city council members—Fred, Julia, Pat and Jack—by walking precincts," Elena said, referring to Fowler, Vice Mayor Julia Miller and Council members Pat Vorreiter and Jack Walker. Melvin Anderson said he is "very pleased" and "excited" about his wife receiving the Award of Excellence. "It's certainly a long time coming," he said. |
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