On Tuesday, August 15, 2006, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors honored WTAM Kiwanis club member Elizabeth Gheleta and recognized her extraordinary contributions to the community by awarding her with a Jefferson Award for Public Service. The associated press release describes the Jefferson Award for Public Service as “a national program to enhance civic engagement.”
Elizabeth has served for many years as Executive Director of the Service League and has worked tirelessly to help provide services for inmates, their families, and probationers upon re-entry into the community. Under her leadership the Service League has grown to an organization with 25 staff members assisted by over 500 volunteers! She has worked to expand in-jail services such as education, religious support, counseling, and life skills. Today the Service League and its volunteers provide over 800 such programs per year in the men’s and women’s jails. During the holidays Elizabeth helps to coordinate programs that provide presents to the children of inmates and cookie bags to over 1,100 inmates. The cookie wrap is one of our club’s favorite service projects. The programs that Elizabeth has helped to initiate help inmates to learn how to function better once they are released and increase their chances of successful reentry into the community. Elizabeth, we are very proud to have you as a member of our cub. Congratulations on your award! by Larry Graves
