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Newark council honors longtime volunteers, recreation program and Meals on Wheels
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Summary
Council members commended Catalina Farias on her 102nd birthday, recognized Julie Borrego’s 30+ years running the Lincoln Young Authors program, and celebrated the recreation department’s CPRS marketing award and local Meals on Wheels volunteers.
The Newark City Council opened its meeting with a series of recognitions honoring long‑time residents and city programs.
Mayor Michael Hand presented a commendation to Catalina Farias on the occasion of her 102nd birthday, noting her family’s multi‑generation ties to Newark and the St. Edward Catholic Church. A family member accepted the honor on her behalf and thanked the council.
The council also recognized Julie Borrego for more than 30 years of service at Lincoln Elementary and for founding the Lincoln Young Authors program, which staff said has inspired roughly 1,200 students and added about 600 student books to the Newark Public Library. Borrego told the council she was “honored” and clarified she had continued, rather than written, the very first grant for the program.
Leah Martinez, representing the California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS), presented the 2025 CPRS Award of Excellence to the City of Newark for a marketing and communications project titled “Community in Color,” which turned a local coloring book into a cross‑department comic series. Recreation Coordinator Katie Fuerte accepted the award and previewed a new comic book version that will be distributed at an upcoming family day event.
Tammy Duran of SOS Meals on Wheels accepted a proclamation recognizing March as a month to celebrate senior nutrition programs and emphasized volunteer contributions that include daily meal deliveries and wellness checks.
Those proclamations and awards were presented before staff began the detailed budget work session later in the meeting.
