Fete for 2012 CREST Award Winners Tonight

Editor's note: Statements about nominees were provided by the city of Cupertino's website. They have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Nine individuals and two organizations will be honored tonight as recepients of the 2012 CREST Award for going above and beyond in their civic contributions to the city.

The award ceremony, hosted at , is free and open to the public. Several city councilmembers will speak before the awards are presented.

CREST stands for Cupertino Recognizes Extra Steps Taken and is an annual award given to individuals and organizations whose work in some way positively impacts the community.

Honorees are nominated by the community with the final selection coming from the city of Cupertino.

Here's what the city has to say about this year's individual honorees:

Harvey and Celia Barnett: Dedicated volunteers and supporters of the , Harvey and Celia always go above and beyond to help with various projects. Together, they've clocked over 1,000 hours of volunteer time at WVCS.

Harvey is a former president of the WVCS Board of Directors and a weekly volunteer at the food pantry. Celia has been a committed WVCS office volunteer, lending her hand in different programs and services offered by the organization.

Lynn Ching: A member of the since 2005, Ching has been involved with the Diwali Festival of Lights, Star Awards, Lunar Luncheon and Taste of Cupertino. She has also been a Cupertino Rotarian for the last 10 years, and has been involved in the annual golf tournament, , Eastern Elegance, Kids Shopping Day, Kids Fishing Day, Operation Snowflake, Student Speech Contest and the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. Ching is also a member of the and works with the city of Cupertino on environmental issues.

Helene Davis: Davis has been an active school volunteer and has held many positions in the Parent Teacher Association over the years. She is a Cupertino Rotarian, has served on the board of the Cupertino Historical Society, is a board member of the AYSO and a member of the . She also works with the Cupertino Library Foundation in setting up exhibits and speakers for the California Western American collection.

Patrick Kwok: Kwok has been a planning commissioner, city councilmember and former Mayor of Cupertino. He served as the co-chair of the Cupertino YMCA Triangle fundraising campaign and participated in a campaign effort in successfully naming the Cupertino Mary Avenue Pedestrian Bridge after the late Cupertino Mayor Don Burnett. Kwok also volunteers at where he serves on the parish finance committee and as a lector and Eucharistic minister. He is also a Cupertino Rotarian. 

Beverly Lenihan: Lenihan has served as president of the Rotary Club of Cupertino and has been an actively involved member of both the Cupertino Rotary Endowment Foundation Board and the Planned Giving Committee. A member of the Cupertino Library Foundation, Lenihan is one of the original representatives who established the search and organizing committee. She is also involved in the .

Dolly Sandoval: A former Cupertino councilmember and Mayor of Cupertino, Sandoval has worked closely with the Senior Housing Solutions to provide affordable housing in Cupertino. Sandoval has also been active in WVCS, where she was part of the first "Taste of Compassion." Sandoval volunteers her time at the Cupertino-Sunnyvale League of Women Voters and speaks regularly to classes at on civic engagement.

Don Staub: Over the last five years, Staub has contributed over 500 hours of his time to WVCS. Staub is also a member of the WVCS Board of Directors and has served on a plethora of committees including the executive, fund development, program/strategic planning, administration and public relations committee for the organization.

Judy Wilson: Wilson currently serves as the vice president of the Fremont Union High School Foundation and is chair of its annual Crab Feed, which brings in about $60,000 to support numerous programs. She is also a member of the Cupertino Rotary Club. She serves as co-chair of volunteers for the club’s Fall Festival, chair of the annual Rotary Speech Contest and until recently was the chair of the club’s teacher mini-grant program.

Here's what the city has to say about the two organizations being honored tonight:

Cupertino-Hsinchu Sister City Association: The association conducts key outreach of our community beyond the city limits. For almost 20 years, the association has promoted friendship and understanding between Cupertino and its sister city of Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Cupertino Kiwanis Club: The club is an active force in the Cupertino community. They sponsor many youth groups from Boy Scouts to children’s camps, including Special Games, and event similar to the Special Olympics for severely disabled individuals. The club also supports the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at the , something they've been doing for 28 years. They also sponsor the Key Clubs at Monta Vista and Cupertino high schools, serving as advisers and chaperones for fundraising events, service events and the annual convention.

The 2012 Crest Awards are tonight, June 14, at 7 p.m. at Cupertino Community Hall, located at 10350 Torre Avenue in Cupertino. Admission is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the ceremony.