Fernando Award Nominations Sought

The deadline to submit nominations for the Fernando Award, which honors an outstanding volunteer in the Valley, is today.

“Anyone who knows of someone in the community deserving of this honor can submit an application,” said Fausto Capobianco, a spokesman for the North Hollywood-based Fernando Award Foundation, whose focus is to encourage and promote volunteerism in the Valley.

Since 1959, the organization has honored residents and business people who have demonstrated a commitment to community service and civic achievement, Capobianco said.

The nominations will be reviewed by members of the Fernando Award Foundation Board, which consists of Valley business and community leaders, who will then select five finalists, Capobianco said.

Ballots containing the names of the finalists will be sent to Fernando Award Foundation Inc. benefactors and members of volunteer organizations in the Valley for a final vote, he said.

The 1998 recipient of the award will be announced Nov. 6 during a banquet at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills.

Last year’s recipient was Philip A. “Flip” Smith, a Van Nuys tire store owner noted for his work in combating prostitution and other crimes along Sepulveda Boulevard, Capobianco said.

For more information on nominations, contact Irwin Rosenberg, president of the foundation, at (818) 947-0697.