Mammoth’s Friends of Education Celebration honors two
Attendees to the 2012 Mammoth Lakes Foundation’s 22nd Annual Friends of Education Celebration on Saturday evening, Dec. 15 were feted to food by Matt Toomey of Toomey’s Catering and Take Out; festive holiday music provided by members of The Felici Trio and Chamber Music Unbound and frivolity, as well as honoring two contributions to the Foundation’s success. Gary Myers, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, presented the Founder of the Year Award to fellow Board Member Judy Bornfeld, and the Volunteer of the Year Award to Sharon Clark.
Bornfeld was honored for contributions of time and energy above and beyond the call of duty. “She is never afraid to speak her mind and helps to keep the Foundation going in the right direction. She is one of our strongest supporters in giving of time and resources. She has donated countless hours to all our fundraising events … and drags her husband along to most everything we do. She has been a dedicated and faithful board member since 1998 and has probably worked on every event the foundation has produced since that time, including enrolling her grandchildren in various Edison Theatre Programs. She and her husband have been attending Foundation activities since our inception,” Myers stated from the podium.
Judy Bornfeld and Gary Myers
Bornfeld, totally surprised by the honor, spryly made her way to the podium on crutches to thank the full house. “I’m shocked, surprised and very grateful,” she commented.
Myers also spoke in glowing terms of the 2012 Volunteer of the Year, stating, “This delightful person is a tireless contributor to the Mammoth Lakes Foundation both in terms of resources and time. She contributes her time at our events, including the Mammoth Food & Wine Experience, has a long history of being involved in the community — most recently on the Town Planning Commission, and has taken on the responsibility of coordinating and facilitating all the front-of-house volunteers at the Edison Theatre as the House Manager making sure each production runs smoothly. Her most significant contribution was during the recent run of ‘The Marvelous Wonderettes’ when she volunteered her husband to come up on stage and be Mr. Lee!” Rarely at a loss for words, Clark was also surprised and grateful for the honor, acknowledging the crowd, and Artistic Director Shira Dubrovner’s heartfelt words of appreciation.
After presentation of the awards and acknowledgement of donors as well as the evening’s sponsors, Lenny Krantz, Eberle Winery, and Mammoth Brewing Company, the audience was treated to a performance of the Edison Theatre’s current production, “A Dickens’ Christmas Carol: A Traveling Travesty in Two Tumultuous Acts” (running through Dec. 23).
During intermission, many of this past fall’s local MLF scholarship student recipients assisted in presentation of the raffle prizes, and were thanked for their help in making the evening a success. They contributed time from decorating to selling raffle tickets to serving appetizers. The evening concluded with the presentation of the Diamond to raffle winner Karolyn Davis followed by Act Two of the well-received production. –Press Release
(Photos courtesy Mammoth Lakes Foundation)
