Some Well-Deserved Honors : 21 Volunteers Have Made O.C. a Better Place to Live

Anyone depressed by Orange County’s problems, ranging from bankruptcy to gangs, can get a good pick-me-up from the list of men and women honored by the county’s Human Relations Commission.

Twenty-one people who have helped others received deserved awards recently at the commission’s annual awards banquet.

Paty Madueno, for instance, has worked hard for the Orange County Congregation Community Organization. The group has done much good work to battle gang violence, drug dealing and prostitution, especially in the Shalimar Drive area of Costa Mesa. The organization has members from all walks of life and all ethnic backgrounds. Madueno rightly commented that knitting together people of disparate backgrounds “is something we have to begin in America.”

Merle Hattleberg was also honored for seeing the needs of a community and doing something about it, rather than turning her back.

Ten years ago, when she was 62, Hattleberg was working at a senior center, but saw younger, hungry people outside. She opened the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa. The kitchen fed more than 200 people a day, including the working poor and children. Last week it was forced to shift its location from one church to another, but fortunately will stay open.

Garden Grove Police Chief Stan Knee received an award for reaching out to the community he serves with a variety of programs; Sunny Hills High School students Rachi Shih and Sonja Lebsack were honored for working to improve ethnic relations on campus.

The Human Relations Commission is marking its 25th year. It is an institution that deserves praise for improving communication among different groups in Orange County. It has been a valuable asset at times of racial tensions in a community or on a high school campus. It also has faced recurring budget problems and raises much of its funds privately.

One person not honored was a donor of $250,000 to the commission, who correctly said the group’s work against hate crimes and programs with schools are essential. The donor, who asked to remain anonymous, deserves thanks, as do those who were publicly honored for their work.