The Media Center Salutes
Local Heroes

Who are the Real Heroes of a Community?

Are they only those who repeatedly appear in the headlines? Or, perhaps, those who devote their lives bravely and selflessly--but silently--outside the limelight?

The Mid-Peninsula has many such people who are quietly committing acts of heroism on a daily basis. The Media Center honors six of these unsung heroes from our service area. The winners are showcased in a series of interviews which appear on this webpage and will air on cable TV during March. Click on their names below to jump to their videos, or watch the 1/2 hour highlight show including excerpts from all six interviews. You can expand the player to full screen size by clicking on the rectangle icon at the bottom of the video player.

• Craig Diserens
  is co-founder of Village Harvest, a volunteer organization that feeds the hungry with otherwise un-harvested and unused fruit from local backyards.
• Abe Abbullarade
  heads up the Center for a New Generation, a program administered by the Peninsula Boys and Girls Club, that tutors and mentors underserved middle schoolers.
• Judy Kramer
  has many volunteer activities, including a Middle East Task Force presiding over the signing of an historic model peace agreement, the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in China and a Kiwanis International Project to eliminate tetanus infections in Third World infants.
• Sister Trinitas
  is the creator of East Palo Alto's Rosalie Rendu Center, which has served immigrant women and children for 14 years.
• Mary Ojakian
  volunteers at the state and local levels to help prevent suicide and educate the public about it.
• Kelly Kobza
  is founding director of Greater Good, a non-porfit that provides primary education and environmental sustainability in Haiti.

How our Local Heroes were Selected

Nominations for the Local Heroes Award were solicited from the public. A Media Center committee selected the winners based on several criteria. In addition to outstanding achievement or contribution to the community, we were looking for people with engaging stories to tell for our televised series. We also chose people who would reflect the enormous diversity of our communities. Our winners vary in age, gender, ethnicity, geographical location, profession or field of interest, and type of contribution.

If you know someone who's articulate (who can tell their own story) and is deserving of recognition, why not nominate them? Send your nomination by email to heroes@midpenmedia.org.