11 Senior Citizens to be Celebrated On April 20

PALM DESERT – All nine Coachella Valley cities and Riverside County will honor 11 outstanding senior citizen volunteers at the 26th annual Senior Inspiration Awards at 11:30 a.m. Friday, April 20.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the luncheon, which will be held at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, 74-855 Country Club Drive.

This major event was established in 1992 by then-Supervisor Corky Larson to recognize the community’s unsung heroes, senior citizens 65 years of age and older who inspire others through their volunteerism and contributions to the community.

“The Senior Inspiration Awards is a valleywide tradition honoring phenomenal senior citizen volunteers from Riverside County and all nine Coachella Valley cities,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez in a prepared statement. “It is inspiring to hear their stories and contributions of countless hours of service to our community. Please join us as we celebrate their exemplary volunteer spirit!”

The 2018 honorees are: Joe Fleischman and Juanita Linares (Riverside County), Bill Kelly (Cathedral City), Grace Vega (Coachella), Rosemary Stonick (Desert Hot Springs), Margaret “Peggy” Bernthal (Indian Wells), Nellie Ortega (Indio), Patricia “Pat” Clapp (La Quinta), Jacqueline “Jackie” Wagner (Palm Desert), Kenneth “Ken” Behrens (Palm Springs) and Patsy “Pat” Manhart (Rancho Mirage).

You may read the biographies of each recipient HERE. 

Brooke Beare and Patrick Evans of CBS Local 2 will serve as the masters of ceremonies.

Tickets are $30 per person and include salad, choice of rosemary garlic chicken breast or seared salmon or gluten-free vegetarian entrée, and apple tartin dessert. For tickets/reservations, visit seniorinspirationawards.org or call 760-863-2556.

The Senior Inspiration Awards is hosted by Perez and the cities of the Coachella Valley (Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage).

Perez represents the eastern two-thirds of Riverside County on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors. Stretching from Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, south to the Salton Sea and east to Blythe and the Colorado River, the 4th District is the largest geographical district in the county.