The Point Loma Association held its annual awards dinner titled “Gems & Jewels of Point Loma,” Oct. 4 at the Kona Kai Resort and Spa on Shelter Island.
The event included a live auction and award presentations by dignitaries.
Lighthouse awards presented by Assemblyman Todd Gloria went to the Peckham and Hervey families. The Peckhams have contributed greatly to PLA beautification projects, helped update the auditorium at Dana Middle School, and funded the Cancer Center at Rady Children’s Hospital along with two ball fields at Point Loma High.
The generosity of the Hervey Family has included a $5 million grant to build the Point Loma Branch Library, among many other community donations for needed projects.
The Community Jewel Award, presented by Mayor Kevin Faulconer, went to Dorothea Laub. Laub is a champion of the Point Loma Assembly and the Point Loma Playhouse, and has been a longtime individual sponsor for the Point Loma Summer Concerts series. She also has provided $60,000 to purchase the kinetic sculpture that will be placed in the Nimitz Boulevard median at the entrance to Point Loma.
PLA treasurer Ted Walker wore the “money hat,” with real currency, in an opportunity drawing selling $5 tickets for a chance to win $250.
The PLA is a nonprofit organization of volunteers committed to enhance the quality of life in the Peninsula, advocating for beautification, education, communication, charitable activities and civic collaboration.
PLA chair Clark Anthony Burlingame noted that, “For 60 years, the all-volunteer PLA has improved the quality of life on the Peninsula – beautifying public spaces, and utility boxes, working to remove billboards and aboveground utility lines, erasing graffiti, conducting town hall forums on important issues, interacting with our military neighbors, creating social events with our business partners and sharing ideas and plans with other community groups on both sides of the Point.”
Noting PLA “Is not political and does not take sides on divisive issues,” Anthony said the organization prefers “to inform and educate the community, alert them to things that could affect their lives, deliver facts and let people decide.
“For our major projects, like the median improvements along Nimitz Boulevard, we use county and city grant money and donations from generous individuals,” Anthony said. “For all other operating costs – including maintenance of 17 areas that we have beautified – we rely on membership dues and one major fundraising activity, our annual dinner.”
Anthony said this year’s themed PLA dinner “highlighted places and things (Gems) that make our community unique, and people (Jewels) who make them sparkle.”
The Lighthouse Award is the highest honor given by the Point Loma Association, added Anthony. “It goes to someone who has gone above and beyond to support the PLA’s mission, someone who has exhibited long term vision and positive impact on our community’s quality of life,” he said.
Concluded Anthony: “I have faith that the future of our association is in good hands. We have dedicated volunteers to protect 60 years of progress and plan greater improvements down the road. However, I am concerned that we have a shortage of successful, comfortably well-off families of the next generation who care enough to be as generous as the Peckhams, Laubs and Herveys and others who have come before.”