Nancy Lacsamana & Chaya-Bella David - 2019
Nancy Lacsamana known throughout the community for their contributions in many areas and is devoted to personally improving the quality of life for Brisbane residents. She is always there with a helping hand, bright smile, and great attitude.
In the past, Nancy dedicated countless hours towards advocating for the High School Bus, serving on the Lipman Site council, and supporting the Brisbane school district. She is a regular volunteer for Bike to Work Day, up bright & early to greet riders with a smile and offer encouragement along their route. She is an ongoing contributor towards City beautification efforts and the friendliest of neighbors.
Recently, Nancy volunteered for CASA of San Mateo, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates and is an organization that advocates for children in the foster care system. She has also volunteered for Larkin Street Youth Services, Colma Veteran’s Village, and has served on the Samtrans Advisory Board.
Through volunteerism at another organization outside of Brisbane, Nancy managed to secure a $2,000 grant to purchase backpacks and school supplies for 100 children. As part of this effort, she organized volunteers to assemble the backpacks so that every child would have school supplies, a reusable water bottle and a high-quality backpack.
This year’s Volunteer of the Year works tirelessly to make a difference in our own community and beyond. She is giving of her time, energy, and effort to improve the quality of life for people of all ages and demographics. She is selfless and represents the true spirit of this award. After many years of volunteerism in our community, we take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Nancy Lacsamana!
Thank you, Nancy. Your unselfish and dedicated service has made a significant difference in our community and contributes to the wonderful quality of life in Brisbane!
In 2019, the subcommittee comprised of City Councilmembers and Parks & Recreation Commissioners established a method for acknowledging youth volunteers of our community. This is the first year the City of Brisbane will bestow a Youth Volunteer of the Year award to Chaya-Bella David. The Youth Volunteer of the Year award is presented to an outstanding young person who has demonstrated a strong commitment to helping others and who serves as an example to their peers.
Chaya-Bella has strengthened our community through service, encouraging environmental preservation and social equity and responsibility. She is an annual volunteer for the San Francisco Fire Department Toy Program working closely with the program director to curate ethnic and cultural book lists and personally deliver toys to children in need. She assembles & distributes collection barrels and was commended for her advocacy of the program. Furthermore, she promotes diverse toys and books in an annual effort called Books and Dolls For All. The mission of Books and Dolls for All is to have every child see someone in power that they can relate to because it shows them “Who they are, Where they came from, and What they’re capable of becoming.”
Chaya-Bella also serves as a youth member of the Friends of Brisbane Library attending regular meetings, providing relevant input, and actively voting. To further support FOBL and fundraise for the new library, she conceived a lemonade stand during the Summer concerts in the park series. She personally sourced local ingredients from resident supporters, created specialty lemonades to coincide with weekly band themes, and encouraged environmental consciousness by being zero waste. In the end, she presented $1,500 to the FOBL Board and negotiated for $1,000 to be allocated towards the new library and $500 towards future programs. She also supports FOBL by volunteering her time at the Citywide yard Sale and annual Ice Cream Social to encourage connectivity between the ridge and central Brisbane.
Chaya-Bella is also part of EMERGE, a student of the SF Arts ED Program, and Brisbane Dance Workshop. At Brisbane Elementary school, she was recognized as student of the year. As a current student of Lipman, she is continuously looking for opportunities to volunteer in programs like open houses, lunch crew, Buddy Program, Teens Tackle Tobacco, the Health & Wellness Fair, Ecology Club, and more. She has received accolades including the Speech Club Award for Stellar Oratory Skills, Student Council Class Representative Certificate, Warrior Award for overall achievements in academics and community service, Lifeskill Awards for responsibility and integrity, and a certificate of appreciation for being part of the Safe School Ambassador program.
Chaya-Bella has volunteered at the San Francisco Zoo, and in 2018 did the SF Stair climb at the Bank of America building, climbing 54 flights of stairs raising money to help first responders cope with the effects of PTSD. She is also a friendly neighbor to all, often assisting community members by serving as a pet-sitter, house-sitter, or babysitter. We feel a great sense of pride in this young Brisbane resident and take this opportunity to express our gratitude by formally presenting the first-ever Youth Volunteer of the Year Award to Chaya-Bella David!
