‘Senior of the Year’ Honored at Health Fair
At a health fair at White Memorial Medical Center attended by more than 1,400 senior citizens, a 66-year-old woman was honored as the “Most Outstanding East Los Angeles Senior of the Year†by a committee of health care professionals.
East Los Angeles resident Elena “Cha Cha†Valencia won the award for her 20 years of fund-raising and volunteer activities in the city’s Eastside communities, officials said.
Valencia was singled out for one of her own projects: “The Special Fun Games,†which she created to provide activities for the physically and developmentally disabled.
In addition, Valencia was praised for her “Burrito Brigade,†a group of 100 mothers she organized to help feed families left homeless by the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
“Despite a health condition . . . which cause severe dizziness, Elena continues to be an icon of what caring, love and volunteerism signifies,†said hospital spokeswoman Alicia Gonzalez.
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