Extraordinary Seniors Recognized in Palm Desert

Palm Desert, CA All nine Coachella Valley cities and the County of Riverside will honor 11 outstanding senior citizen volunteers at the 25th annual Senior Inspiration Awards at 11:30 a.m. Friday, March 24. More than 600 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 Dr. 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 tradition started 25 years ago that recognizes phenomenal senior citizen volunteers from Riverside County and each Coachella Valley city," said Jan Harnik, mayor of Palm Desert and chair of the Senior Inspiration Awards committee. "The honorees are unsung heroes who volunteer, not for recognition, but out of their love for making our community better. It is inspirational to hear the great stories of the thousands of hours they have devoted and their encouragement to us to be active." The 2017 honorees are: Barbara Eves and Bill Claborn (Riverside County), Edie Del Fiorentino (Cathedral City), Paul Lira (Coachella), Paul Miller (Desert Hot Springs), Donald Pelegrino (Indian Wells), Priscilla Garcia (Indio), Linda Williams (La Quinta), Hal Gruen (Palm Desert), Charles Dunn (Palm Springs) and Margi White (Rancho Mirage). The Senior Inspiration Awards is hosted by the Fourth Supervisorial District 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).