SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo will honor four local organizations at noon Thursday during the 15th Annual Mayor’s Awards Ceremony, held via Zoom.
Independent Living Resource Center, Chevron Stations Inc., FluidStance and the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County will be recognized for their service to the disability community.
Keynote Speaker Grace Fisher is a disability advocate and founded the Grace Fisher Foundation, an organization that makes the arts accessible to people of all abilities.
The awards mark the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 75th year of the National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is this month.
Independent Living Resource Center, Inc., receives the Nonprofit Award for its work supporting disabled people of all ages.
In 2020, the ILRC became involved in an initiative to support disabled people in an emergency while also staying independent. The ILRC provided Chromebooks when stay-at-home orders were enacted.
Chevron Stations, Inc., earned the Outstanding Effort Award for hiring individuals with varying abilities throughout the Central Coast. Ten individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities were hired at Chevron stations in the region, including Santa Barbara.
In conjunction with PathPoint, a nonprofit that supports those with disabilities, Chevron created the station support representative role for neurodiverse employees. The role helps clean, stock shelves and perform general maintenance functions.
Chevron was listed for the second year in a row in the 2020 Disability Index as one of the “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.”
FluidStance, a local manufacturer of balance boards, is awarded the Employment/Accommodation Award for hiring disabled individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. They help with the final assembly of the boards.
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County will receive the Design/Accessibility Award for its work rising to increased demand during the pandemic.
The Foodbank added 50 COVID-conscious food pantries, four emergency warehouses and a home delivery program to help citizens under quarantine.
The awards’ organizing committee includes: the California Department of Rehabilitation, City of Santa Barbara, Tri-Counties Regional Center, Independent Living Resource Center, PathPoint, UCP Work Inc., the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Pamela Gunther, Julie Holmes and Dominick Trevethan.
— Annelise Hanshaw
