presented to
This twenty seventh day of June, in the year two thousand one
It is a pleasure to award the Medical Society's prestigious 2001 Outstanding Citizen Award to "one of our own," for there could not be another lay person as dedicated to the welfare of her community and to medicine as Lorene Sponsler.
Lorene spearheaded the implementation of the Heigh Ho Day Care center for low income single parents in downtown San Bernardino, coordinating efforts from three different service organizations who had never worked together before. Because of her foresight and commitment, Heigh Ho today is financially self-supporting and serves the low-income mothers and fathers it originally intended to serve by means of state subsidies and private donations.
Lorene is very active in her church, Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral (San Bernardino). She is Chair of the Human Concerns Committee and co-chairs one of three components of Human Concerns, the Health and Wellness Committee. She works directly with the congregation to provide health screening and to provide hospitality to the recently bereaved. She is District Governor of the Diocesan Serra Club, a lay organization which fosters vocations to the priesthood and vowed religious life and which supports seminarians, priests and sisters with dinners and other celebrations.
We must also note Lorene Sponsler's many years of faithful service to medicine through her voluntary work with the SBCMS Alliance and the California Medical Association Alliance. She became a member in July, 1973. A natural leader, she chaired all of the committees at least once and served five terms as SBCMS-Alliance President. In addition, Lorene has been a Delegate to the CMA-Alliance for nearly 20 years; she ahs served on the Board of Trustees, most recently as Legislation Trustee and as CMAA representative to the CMA Council on Legislation.
Lorene continues to take an active role in the SBCMS Alliance and the CMA Alliance, having been elected Secretary of CMAA this year. She is involved in legislative issues and regularly attends CMA's annual Legislative Leadership Day and political fundraisers. She sits on the CALPAC Board representing the CMA Alliance. Lorene also finds time to serve as a key contact and a member of SBCMS' Legislative Commission/LOPAC Committee. She is a member of the IWIN Board of Trustees.
It is often said that Lorene has an indomitable spirit of enthusiasm and optimism about people, which tends to bring out the best in all that know and love her. She acts and gets others to act. She gives her love and help to others without demeaning them; rather she affirms those she helps.
For nearly 30 years Lorene has been a tireless worker for our community, our
Medical Society and our Alliance. We are pleased to present to her this 2001
Outstanding Citizen Award in appreciation for the warmth, compassion, kindness
and dedication she has brought to all.
