White House Takes Note of 2 Volunteers : Feeding of O.C. Hungry, Efforts to Help Poor Sioux to Be Recognized

For one man, the motivation to provide food and shelter to Native American children in South Dakota can be traced to a centuries-old calling of Sioux chiefs to protect their people from all danger.

For another, feeding thousands of hungry Orange County residents every Thanksgiving is simply a way of repaying society for his modest success in life.

And for both Phillip Stevens of Newport Beach and Frank Garcia of Anaheim, a lifelong drive to assist others has earned recognition from the White House.

Next month they will be presented the coveted Presidential Service Award in recognition of their volunteerism. President Clinton will award sterling silver medallions to them and 18 others from across the country who have performed outstanding work in public safety, education, environmental protection and humanitarian aid.

More than 3,200 volunteer workers nationwide were considered for this year’s awards, said the White House’s Points of Light Foundation, which coordinates the program.

The award, previously known as the President’s Volunteer Action Award, was popularized under President George Bush, who referred to it as the “Thousand Points of Light” community service program.

The award brings nationwide attention to recipients, who covet the honor for its potential to boost fund-raising and raise the profile of their causes.

“This is like winning the lottery, only better,” said Garcia, who has provided free Thanksgiving turkey dinners for more than 50,000 people at his Anaheim restaurant since 1987.

“I wish my father were alive to see this,” Garcia said. “He would never believe it. We didn’t have much when I was young. Now, I am going to the White House.”

Added Stevens, a millionaire who says he is a descendant of legendary Sioux Nation war chief Standing Bear and who has worked for decades to improve the lives of all Native Americans: “Hopefully, this will bring greater attention to our plight.”

“We have done a very small amount compared to the enormity of the need out there,” said the retired engineering firm executive. “In South Dakota, Native American children are living such hard lives. More than 2,400 of them are homeless. More people should be doing something about this.”

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Garcia and Stevens join an elite group of 306 philanthropists who have won the award since it was conceived by President Ronald Reagan in 1982, said Barbara Lohman, a spokeswoman for the Points of Light Foundation. In Orange County, which boasts more than 1,200 charities, four people have received the honor.

Of Stevens and Garcia, Lohman said: “When you see what they have done to help others, it brings tears to your eyes.”

Stevens and Garcia said winning the award compels them to work even harder.

Stevens, owner of Irvine’s Ultrasystems engineering firm before he sold it in 1988, has advocated greater reparations from the federal government for Native Americans.

He said he will use the award’s recognition to generate greater support for impoverished Native Americans on reservations.

Through the Walking Shield American Indian Society, which he founded in 1986, Stevens has provided Sioux children in South Dakota with clothing, books, scholarship money and medical assistance.

“I have seen much hurt in those sweet eyes,” said Stevens, who is also attempting to coordinate the building of a major housing development for the Oglala Sioux in Pine Ridge, S.D.

“They are the poorest of the poor,” he said.

Stevens, who says he is 1/16th Sioux, became involved in charity work for Native Americans to reconnect with his roots, he said.

“I thought I could use my managing experience to pitch in and help to make life easier for them,” he said.

In 1988, he was at the center of a Sioux Nation debate over how to effectively gain reparations from the federal government. During his attempts to win $3.1 billion and ownership of the Black Hills for the Sioux tribes, many in the community resented Stevens.

They claimed he fouled up other, more reasonable attempts to gain reparations and decried him as an outsider and self-promoter.

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Stevens admitted he had his detractors but contended that the majority of the Sioux supported him and his efforts. He went on to receive the ceremonial title of special chief from one of eight tribes that make up the Great Sioux Nation.

“The taking of the Black Hills is comparable to denying all Americans access to their churches and synagogues,” Stevens argued.

Garcia, who, with his five brothers, grew up poor in Texas, said he will try to reach out to troubled teens in Orange County.

His foray into charitable work began in 1984 when he opened his Tex-Mex restaurant, La Casa Garcia, in Anaheim.

“That’s when I realized I had more than others,” he said. “I told my wife, Sylvia, I want to help others now.

“Everybody needs to take pride in themselves.

“We all should support each other. My parents taught me that.”