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Community Catalysts, a non-profit agency that serves individuals with developmental and other disabilities, hosted their annual Catalyst of the Year dinner on Thursday, October 12 at the Silver Gate Yacht Club on Shelter Island. Created in 2002, the annual award recognizes an individual, organization or community group that best represents the positive changes each of us can make in the lives of individuals with disabilities. This year’s awardee, Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club, was honored for their longtime dedication to providing recreation programs to the disabled community, through their annual La Jolla Festival of the Arts fundraiser. The evening’s featured speaker, Mayor Jerry Sanders, praised both the Kiwanis and Community Catalysts for their roles in meeting the needs of our disabled community in San Diego. “Nearly 20% of our city’s residents live with some form of disability. These are our co-workers, our neighbors and our loved-ones. These are people who deserve our attention, consideration and -- sometimes -- our direct assistance,” said Mayor Sanders. “Torrey Pines Kiwanis raises thousands in funds to ensure that the services, access and enjoyment our city can provide is provided to those with disabilities. They join a growing list of organizations that have made a commitment to service,” continued Mayor Sanders. In addition to the Mayor, honored guests included representatives from the offices of Council President Scott Peters and Councilmembers Kevin Faulconer and Jim Madaffer, who presented proclamations to the Torrey Pines Kiwanis. This year’s emcee, KUSI co-anchor Charlotte Starck, co-presented the award with Community Catalysts’ CEO Jim Jenkins. “Tonight, we are celebrating an organization that makes a difference in the lives of thousands of disabled San Diegans each year,” said CEO Jim Jenkins. “The Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club members volunteer hundreds of hours to organize the annual La Jolla Festival of the Arts, which raised over $100,000 this year,” he said. “Because of their support, adults and children that never thought they’d be able to even participate in sports, are able to become champions. We greatly appreciate their dedication and are proud to award them the 2006 Catalyst of the Year.” Over 20 representatives from the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club and Kiwanis International attended, including current president Chris Farquar and past president Peter Ballantyne who accepted the Catalyst of the Year award on behalf of their club members. Through the organization of their annual La Jolla Festival of the Arts fundraiser, the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club has distributed nearly $1 million to various San Diego organizations serving the disabled over the past 20 years. The club supports more than 25 recreation programs which reach 2,500 disabled participants each year, including their highly popular Adaptive Ski Scholarship Program, as well as karate, wheelchair road racing, camping, wheelchair tennis, water skiing, quadriplegic rugby, therapeutic horseback riding, and art and education programs for children. Past recipients of the award have included La Jolla Playhouse for their ACCESS Performance Series, Scripps Mercy Hospital for their A-Visions pre-vocational training program, Challenged America which provides sailing education and rehabilitation programs, and Silver Gate Yacht Club which hosts the annual Wheelchair Regatta. Sponsors for the evening’s event included Sempra Energy, Silver Gate Yacht Club, La Jolla Playhouse, Scripps Mercy Hospital, Downtown Partnership, Petco, Pechanga Hotel and Resort, Hornblower Cruises, Copy Shoppe Printing, Edelweiss Bakery, After Dark Grafx, Inc. and Einstein Bros. Bagels. Community Catalysts is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation that has offices throughout California and serves over 1,000 individuals with developmental and other disabilities. They provide training and support services including employment, housing and daily living skills.
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