Published in the Dec. 28, 2016 – Jan. 10, 2017 issue of Gilroy Life

By Mark Turner

Mark Turner

We at the Chamber of Commerce hope everyone in the South Valley enjoyed their holiday festivities and we wish you a happy New Year. Here are the final announcements of the 2017 Spice of Life Award recipients. We put a spotlight on the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce’s honorees for volunteer of the year and the youth leadership award. They’ll be honored the evening of Feb. 11 at our annual event at San Juan Oaks Golf Club.

Debbi Sanchez, the 2017 Firman B. Voorhies Volunteer of the Year, believes life is precious and we only have a short time to do what we can to help make our community a better place. Debbi has a tremendous love for Gilroy and has made her home in this community her entire life. “I can’t imagine living here and not being involved in the community and help in making it a better place. It’s just a big part of who I am,” she said.

Debbi knows there is a sense of pride and togetherness that comes when local individuals volunteer. Volunteering is how you build a community, she said.

Her husband, Mike Sanchez, inspires her to be involved, she said. Mike has an amazing imagination and a giving heart. He is always finding ways to contribute and help others. She tries to emulate his willingness to be involved and his passion for helping others. Debbi has done well to set an example of service to others. She has served on the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for six years, has been involved in the beer operations at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, participating in the Hall of Fame Committee, assisting with the Chamber’s annual dinner, not to mention all the other nonprofit volunteer work she does for so many others.

The 2017 Susan Valenta Youth Leadership Award recipient, Rayleene Miranda, is an inspiration to all who know her. She cares about others, works hard, volunteers and goes above and beyond what is expected of her. Rayleene enjoys the social aspect of helping others and the feeling that radiates out of volunteering. “My experiences in the past few years have strengthened my character, helping me become more patient and empathetic, and have showed me that even the smallest action can have an impact on a larger scale — that one act of service can create a ripple effect that can spread throughout the entire community,” she said.

Rayleene’s parents immersed her and her older brother in their early years into the lives of the developmentally disabled with their residential care home business. From a young age, she watched her mom and dad care for those who faced challenges and who did not have the means to help themselves. Rayleene volunteered more than 350 hours to help disabled individuals.

She credits her brother for also helping to shape her character. “To some extent, there was some form of sibling rivalry that arose, but I have always been inspired by his work ethic and his tenacity,” she said.

From a young age, Rayleene has dreamed of a career as a pediatrician. Before immigrating to America, her parents obtained their medical degrees in the Philippines, but set aside their dream of becoming physicians to raise a family. In another sense, the medical field brings together two of her interests: service and biology.

One of Rayleene’s proudest moments of high school was when she became one of the school’s Spirit Commissioners. As a Spirit Commissioner, she needed to be comfortable with her speaking abilities and needed to be able to convey a sense of enthusiasm with the words and motions she picked. Through the course of the year, she had to face her fears and give many presentations to the entire school. Throughout the process, she gained more confidence in herself and her abilities to communicate with others.

Rayleene advice to other students is: “Don’t be afraid to take chances and be open to all the possibilities around you. You never know what can arise out of a simple experience, and how it may influence your interests or future decisions. When an opportunity arises, take a chance and seize it.

Mark Turner is president and CEO of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. Reach him at (408) 842-6437 or [email protected].

Marty Cheek