Sparkplug Winners Express Gratitude

At first, Pacific Palisades resident Amy Madnick felt embarrassed by the publicity she received for winning one of the 2007 Golden Sparkplug Awards, given annually by the Community Council to civic-minded citizens. ‘But with time, I realized that it has also offered me the opportunity to share my passion about the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life,’ Madnick told a crowd of about 160 community members gathered at the American Legion Hall for the Citizen-of-the-Year dinner last Thursday. Madnick and fellow Sparkplug winner David Card were honored. Community Council Chairman Steve Boyers congratulated Madnick for organizing the first Palisades Relay for Life, an event in which people run or walk for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. He applauded Card for beautifying the landscape near the sewage pumping station on Temescal Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway, and for his work on the Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee (PCCAC). ‘Both of you are celebrated individuals who are now an integral part of the history of this community,’ Boyers said. ‘You will always be remembered and respected.’ Madnick asked the principal at Marquez Elementary School to host the first relay in 2004. She convinced merchants to make donations and found volunteers to help out at the event, Boyers said. ‘The Relay for Life is an annual event that has taught many schoolchildren the importance of community service, and it has improved the quality of life in our community,’ Boyer said, presenting Madnick with her award. Madnick, a social worker at Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, lost both her parents to cancer. ‘Relay for Life has made me feel closer to my father and my mother and their legacy than anything I have done as a social worker, mother or wife, since my parents passed away in 1976 and 1984,’ Madnick said, choking back tears. To beautify the area near the pumping station, Card asked the Rotary Club to purchase plants and recruited the labor from Boy Scout Troop 23, Boyers said. He secured funds from the Palisades Junior Women’s Club to pay for a solar-powered irrigation system. Card also convinced L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks and the Public Works Bureau to maintain the new landscaping. ‘The project was just successfully completed last week,’ Boyers said, ‘and because of your efforts, it has beautified and improved our community.’ Card, a landscape designer, was also honored because of his work on the PCCAC. He conducted public meetings to gather input for the long-planned park on 40 acres in Potrero Canyon. ‘We had lots of controversy, but we came together with a plan, which will be fabulous,’ Card said. The committee approved the plan in January and has submitted it to the city for consideration. Card thanked the PCCAC Chairman George Wolfberg and Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl and his staff, along with everyone who participated in the meetings on Potrero Canyon. He acknowledged Rotary Club member Perry Akins, who came up with the idea to beautify the landscape near the pumping station, and Eagle Scout candidate Jamie Hubbs for helping organize the Boy Scout volunteers. ‘Get involved in your community,’ Card said. ‘It’s fun.’