Celebrate Morgan Hill Awards
From left to right, back row: Karen Macdonald, Vicky Reader, Margaret McCann, Joanne Rife,
Carol Holzgrafe, Carol O’Hare, Janet Wright, Krisse Boursier, Peggy Martin, Janet McElroy, Jean Pinard.
Front row: Gelasia Tiwana, Mary Cox, Elizabeth Mandel, Suman Ganapathy and Yvonne Beltran.
Not pictured: Lesley Miles
Fashionably attired branch members showed up in force at Guglielmo Winery on April 3 for the ‘Celebrate Morgan Hill 2022’ gala. What made it a particularly exciting and well-attended event by our members was the fact that three of the seven evening’s honorees were AAUW Morgan Hill members! Publicly recognized for their service to the community were branch member Lesley Miles for Woman of the Year, Young Woman Leader Gelasia Tiwana as Student of the Year, and past branch president and current board member, Peggy Martin as Volunteer of the Year. They made our hearts swell with pride. Additionally, our organization and the positive impact we have had over the years was mentioned multiple times during the course of the evening, and we certainly have reason to be proud and continue our good work in the community.
The award ceremony event was themed “Sip & Celebrate – A Vintage Garden Party.” Attendees dressed for the occasion, with stylish hats, dresses and suits adding to the elegant occasion. However, the most impressive of all were the outstanding accomplishments, dedication, passion, and compassion of our three member honorees. Their efforts have made a huge difference in our community, and their accolades are well deserved. Their stirring prerecorded videos and acceptance speeches were heartfelt and memorable, and we returned home inspired and happy.
The exceptional achievements of the honorees are difficult to summarize in a few sentences. We include here a link to this comprehensive piece in the Morgan Hill Times on March 2022 .
Congratulations, Lesley Miles, Gelasia Tiwana, and Peggy Martin for your inspirational and stellar services to the community! We wish you the very best for the future.
Suman Ganapathy, President Elect
Gelasia Tiwana, Young Woman Leader
Student of the Year