By Rico Dizon
If you see an elderly lady making the rounds at Norwalk Certified Farmers Market she is not actually shopping for something to bring home. She is in fact making sure that the vegetables, fruits and flowers that the vendors cater to the public are in season. This, she performs to a T as a volunteer-inspector in this weekly event at Norwalk. And mind you, her track record in volunteerism will put to shame individuals 50 years her junior.
Her name is Alberta Luna, 80, and she is the Older American Nominee for the City of Norwalk for the year 2012. Endorsed by the Norwalk Senior Commission, Luna was formally recognized and presented with a plaque of appreciation for her outstanding contribution in volunteerism by City Mayor Cheri Kelley and her fellow councilmembers at the council meeting on May 1, amid thundering applause from the audience and city officials present. She is a 55-year resident in the City and her track record in building a family is equally amazing: six children, 14 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.
In conjunction with the Older American Month first declared by President John Kennedy in May 1963 to call attention to the senior citizens in the country which is more than 34 million to date, Luna is one of several other nominees in the cities of Los Angeles County Fourth District who will be honored with a luncheon to be hosted by District Supervisor Don Knabe in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults on May 30, 2012 at the Kenneth Hanh Hall of Administration near downtown LA.
Luna’s shining record as a volunteer, in addition to the above, spans 10 to 15 years and includes the following: helps at the Information Desk at the City of Norwalk Courthouse; assists in ushering during cadets graduation rites for the Norwalk Sheriff Department; ushers every Sunday at St Linus Church in Norwalk; active member, Golden Age Club and Alondra Senior Club; works in voting polls in the City of Norwalk and participates in the City’s annual Angel Tree Project.
The Older American Nominee for the City of Norwalk was first recommended by her friend Esther Alejandro, said Norwalk Social Services Manager Veronica Garcia. With her very tight volunteer schedule, do not count her out for recreation— every Monday and Friday when she plays Bingo, added Yvette Kizziar, office assistant at the Norwalk Senior Commission.
