Feting those who make a difference in the neighborhood, Community Catalysts, a nonprofit agency that serves individuals with developmental and other disabilities, hosted a recent Catalyst of the Year dinner at the Silver Gate Yacht Club on Shelter Island.
Created in 2002, the annual award recognizes an individual, organization or community group that best represents the positive changes each person can make in the lives of individuals with disabilities.
This year’s recipient is San Diego Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Injured Servicemembers Program, which introduces adaptive sports and recreation activities to servicemembers who have sustained a life-changing injury while defending the country.
For the second consecutive year, Mayor Jerry Sanders kicked off the celebration as featured speaker.
“I commend Community Catalysts for their outstanding contributions to our city, for their work to increase access, opportunity and affordable housing for the disabled community,” Sanders said.
During the awards ceremony, Sanders issued a city proclamation identifying Oct. 11 as “Injured Servicemembers Program Day’ in the City of San Diego.
“We in San Diego understand all too well the commitment and sacrifice that our armed forces make during a time of war,” Sanders said. “For the brave men and women who have sustained injuries while serving our country, the Injured Servicemembers Program provides understanding, empathy and a valuable support system.”
The Injured Servicemembers Program, which is administered through the San Diego Adaptive Sports Foundation, partners with the Balboa Naval Medical Center San Diego, Cal Diego PVA, Disabled Sports USA, the Wounded Warrior Program and the US Paralympics.
Past recipients of the Catalyst of the Year award include the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club, which supports disabled recreation programs through the annual La Jolla Festival of the Arts fund-raiser; La Jolla Playhouse for its ACCESS Performance Series; Scripps Mercy Hospital for its A-Visions pre-vocational training program; Challenged America, which provides sailing education and rehabilitation programs; and Silver Gate Yacht Club, which hosts the annual Wheelchair Regatta.
For more information, call (858) 569-1055 or visit www.communitycatalysts.org.