Artesia Assemblyman Mendoza Honors Hawaiian Gardens Volunteer

State Assemblyman Tony Mendoza of Artesia awarded Hawaiian Gardens community volunteer Nidia Mateos the Cesar E. Chavez Humanitarian Award Monday night at a Cerritos Library reception.

The award pays tribute not only to the labor leader’s legacy as founder of the United Farm Workers of America but also to community members like Mateos who follow Chavez’s values such as service to others, determination and  celebrating the community.

“[Mateos’s] impact is not only felt in Hawaiian Gardens, but also in the surrounding communities [of the 56th Assembly District],” Mendoza told Patch.com.

He recognized that Mateos’s 20 years of involvement in her community, ranging from bringing a nutrition and fitness program to Melbourne Elementary School as PTA president, working with her community and the local Sheriff and Fire Departments against crime in her city and giving local parents—many of whom are immigrants—a voice in local government, as going “above and beyond” the traditional role of volunteerism.

“Basic civic involvement is instrumental to the community,” the assemblyman said. “For her to get immigrant parents involved in community issues is powerful.”

Speaking in Spanish as she accepted her award from Assemblyman Mendoza, Mateos said her involvement in the community stemmed from hearing about her city’s unfortunate reputation.

“[People] see our community as low and insignificant and seeing that I wanted to make a difference,” she said through an interpreter.

By working together with local government and public safety officials on a wide range of issues affecting Hawaiian Gardens, Mateos said she strived to improve the well-being of the more than 14,000 residents of the city.

“I would like to share with you that you can make a difference and to motivate you to come out and do what you can for your community,” she said, citing her children and her granddaughter as her inspiration for giving them a better life by looking after Hawaiian Gardens.

Besides friends and supporters of Mateos, public officials from the 56th Assembly District attended the reception, including Cerritos City councilmember Joseph Cho and Mayor Carol Chen, who presented her with a certificate.

“Her involvement in the schools, her involvement with the city [of Hawaiian Gardens] and her involvement in law enforcement really make a difference in her community,” she said before handing Mateos a certificate. “You can’t stress the importance of volunteerism that each and every one of us can do for our communities.”

In addition to the multitude of recognitions from cities throughout the 56th Assembly District and the ABC Unified School District, Cesar Chavez’s son Paul spoke about his father’s legacy and how people like Mateos are living his values. He referenced in the invocation made by Father Charles Ara, the first recipient of Mendoza’s Cesar E. Chavez Humanitarian Award of looking after the community.

“We believe that the greatest tribute in honoring my father isn’t holding a street sign in front of a building or an official holiday,” he said, referring to March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day, a state holiday. “We believe the greatest tribute is having the courage to be your brother’s keeper. We take this message very seriously.”