MEDIA ADVISORY
(LONG BEACH, CA – April 11, 2024) Media are invited to join the Downtown Long Beach Alliance as they announce and present five awards (to 7 individuals) for its annual Spirit of Downtown Awards, the organization’s highest honor given annually to those who have positively impacted the Downtown Long Beach community in the previous year. RSVP to Asia Morris at asiam@dlba.org.
“These inspiring recipients have pioneered innovative approaches to catalyze Downtown’s revival,” said President and CEO Austin Metoyer. “We are excited to celebrate and recognize each of them as we continue our journey towards a strong future in Downtown.”
WHO:
- Austin Metoyer (Emcee), Downtown Long Beach Alliance, President & CEO
Denise Carter (Emcee), Downtown Long Beach Alliance, Chair of the Board - Evelyn Avila (Honoree), Long Beach Walking Club, Founder: One year ago this month, the Long Beach Walking Club was established by Evelyn to focus on building a safe environment for women to walk, exercise and enjoy the Downtown community. The community now has over 8k followers and over 100 members.
- Sinead Finnerty-Pyne (Honoree), Studio One Eleven: Helped and continues to work to establish the Friends of Lincoln Park group and continues to champion efforts to establish a DTLB Design District, highlighting the creative community in Downtown. Also brought the LA Design Week activation to have a hub in DTLB. Has been a leading changemaker in helping to attract amazing talent for the last few DTLB Art Walks, creating renewed energy for the program.
- Andrew Fiorentino & Sacha Braddock (Honorees), North East Village Neighborhood Association: Worked tirelessly to build community and identity for the North East Village neighborhood by establishing a new and robust neighborhood association in Downtown, which has already hosted several notable events and educational programs.
- Ron Hodges & Riley Hodges (Honorees), Shannon’s Corner Property Owners: Being recognized for decades of support and the operation of the many businesses they either own or lease to on the corner of Pine Avenue and Broadway. The Hodges have been a stalwart of Pine Avenue and champions of improvements over the years.
- Jim Goodin (Honoree), Ocean Residents Community Association: Jim Goodin just retired as president of the Ocean Residents Community Association (ORCA) and is still involved as Active Past President. He is a product and advocate of Long Beach. He was born in Long Beach, graduated from Long Beach State, worked at Long Beach City Hall, and has lived in Downtown Long Beach for the last 27 years. He has served nine years as President of ORCA and 10 years on the Board of the Downtown Residents Council (DRC).
More details about the contributions of each honoree will be shared at the awards presentation.
WHAT:
The Spirit of Downtown Award was established in 2012 to posthumously recognize four individuals that the Long Beach community had tragically lost that year: Shaun Lumachi, founder of the Long Beach Post; Larry Allison, long-respected Editor of the Press-Telegram; Bill Baker, a famed volunteer and redevelopment master; and Mark Bixby, DLBA Director and Long Beach’s bicycling guru who largely headed the creation of our City’s massive biking infrastructure and culture. The award honors members and organizations of the Downtown Long Beach community that have demonstrated significant achievements in the past and perpetually look ahead toward a more promising future.
WHEN:
Saturday, April 13, approximately 6-7 PM
The Art Walk and activations in the Celebrate Downtown Hub will begin at 4 PM and conclude at 9 PM.
WHERE:
Celebrate Downtown Hub at the DTLB Art Walk
240 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802
WHY:
For outstanding contributions to the Downtown Long Beach community throughout the 2023 calendar year.
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About: The Downtown Long Beach Alliance is a nonprofit, community-based organization whose mission is to cultivate, preserve and promote a healthy, safe, and prosperous Downtown. The organization is recognized as the voice of Downtown Long Beach by the City of Long Beach and the State of California. By balancing the interests of the residents, as well as businesses, the organization creates tangible progress by way of vested interest and solidified partnerships across local, municipal, and commercial lines. For additional information, visit www.downtownlongbeach.org and follow on Facebook @downtownlongbeach, on “X” (formerly Twitter) @dlba and Instagram @dlba.