National Sierra Club 2022 Awardees

Every year the Sierra Club honors volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to the environmental movement. This year the Angeles Chapter is proud to call three of these leaders our own. We are including their photos, and the nominations for the award to celebrate them!




The awards will be presented along with all of our national awardees next Thursday, Sept. 22, at 4 p.m. Pacific. Join us here:




When I first showed up to a Sierra Club Angeles Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO) meeting in 2013, despite already being the liaison for several other teachers, Ann selflessly offered to add me and my school as yet another of her charges to coordinate free hiking trips through ICO. She was and has constantly been kind, gracious, thoughtful, organized and enthusiastic about supporting ICO’s mission to bridge the gap between urban youth and natural experiences. With her guidance as a Leader, hundreds of students at my school and countless students from organizations around Los Angeles have gotten to experience safe, interesting, and empowering visits to the wilderness. My students always asked if “Miss Ann” was going to come on trips with us and enjoyed catching up with her.




Ann scheduled and led many trips for my students through ICO, working closely with me to ensure I had the types of opportunities for my students that I wanted. Every year, my hiking club would go to Eaton Canyon as a first introductory hike. For a more challenging hike, Ann worked to find co-Leaders who could tiger-hike up to Eagle Rock in Topanga with my most energetic students, while the slower kids, myself, and Ann brought up the rear.  When the opportunity came up to apply for a Memorial Day weekend cabin trip on Catalina Island, Ann contacted me to suggest I apply. My group was chosen! My students got to enjoy a fun cabin-camp experience including kayaking and snorkeling- something most had never done! Several students began learning to swim on that trip! They had an amazing time.  Ann was a friendly, calm, positive presence on all our trips. I am naturally anxious and Ann often told me to “relax, sit down, the kids are fine”- and they were better than fine. They were always having a great time. When we took two overnight camping trips to the desert, Ann was wonderful at coordinating supplies, meeting me the night before to pack her truck and discuss final logistics. Ann supervised the student cooking groups, encouraging students who had never helped in the kitchen before to learn and take pride in their work. On our camping trip to Anza Borrego, the  expected cold weather miraculously swapped to a heatwave and several students neglected to pack shorts. Ann stopped at Walmart to pick up a couple pairs of shorts for students who needed them, and some spray bottles for us to keep cool. On that same trip, one of the tents was in such bad repair that Ann gave her tent to a group of students and opted to sleep in her car. Never complaining, always finding a solution to ensure others are safe, and comfortable, Ann is the best human I have ever met. 




In addition to having Ann as my ICO liaison, I decided to give back by volunteering for the ICO website committee, which Ann ended up leading. She was tireless in communicating and collaborating between Angeles ICO leadership, the web developer and the website committee. We had a monumental task of reorganizing and re-envisioning the Angeles ICO website to make it more user friendly and welcoming. Our team met monthly for 6-8 hours and were in communication throughout the month, and Ann was always cordial and positive, even when others on the team were frustrated with the conflicting needs being presented. She delegated tasks to our team quickly and followed up efficiently. The new website is far more functional now and is kept up to date in a timely manner through her efforts. Ann is incredibly hard-working and dedicated to making sure Angeles ICO is providing the best service possible to teachers, parents, students and the Leaders who volunteer with it. 




I recommend Ann Salvador for any and all awards that can be bestowed upon this embodiment of altruism who efficiently coordinates ICO tasks, teacher communication and student needs.  Please contact me with any questions you may have. I would be honored to tell you more about the amazing Ann Salvador.

 

Joe Andrews has been a life member since 1993. In 2017 he became the Legal Chair of the Angeles Chapter, and in 2019 added Compliance Officer to his titles. In these capacities, Joe has gone above and beyond in his service to the Club. 

 

Joe has supported the Sierra Club in launching two new lawsuits (to protect open space in the city of Calabasas, and stop Glendale from building new gas-fired power turbines.) He has responded to periodic updates to ongoing lawsuits spanning the chapter. He has also advised the chapter on multiple contracts and even covid compliance. 

 

In his role as compliance officer, Joe maintains the highest level of respect as he responds to multiple inquiries a week. Over 50 people serve on the chapter's two-part political committee, and joe deals with recusals which can get very tricky, especially as the Club updates and attempts to clarify its policies. Joe reviews all chapter communications for compliance, from routine newsletters, to member-to-member communications involving endorsements. Joe is also a team player, routinely looping in our state compliance officer or SCPT leaders as needed. 

 

Joe has kept us firmly grounded in Sierra Club policy and election law. He is both  thoughtful and timely in his responses, and supports the chapter with the sort of grace that makes him a delight to work with. 





Nominated by Sharon Koch:

Patty Sappingfield has been a valuable member of the Sierra Sage of South Orange County Group management committee since 2007.  Patty and Mike Sappingfield have been life members of the Sierra Club since 2006.  Patty took on the difficult task of group treasurer in 2005 and served until 2021.  

 

Her exemplary efforts in keeping very accurate and complex records as well as maintaining the group’s separate seller of travel account were greatly appreciated.  She trained and mentored her replacement as treasurer and continues to serve as assistant treasurer.  She also served as membership chair from 2006 to 2009.  Patty served as co-leader on many of the hikes and fundraising outings led by her husband, Mike.  She has worked to secure meeting space for the regional group’s general meetings, provided greeters and snacks at those meetings, and coordinated numerous annual group events including an annual chili cook-off and new member meeting (on hiatus during the pandemic), and the fundraising barbeque held at the Starr Ranch Audubon facility which offered members and guests an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and take relatively short hikes throughout the day in a location not normally open to the general public.  Patty also was responsible for the distribution of the group’s print newsletter by mail to subscribers.  

 

It’s hard to adequately describe all of Patty’s contributions to the Sierra Club and the regional group, Sierra Sage of South Orange County.  She has been a solid rock of support, and has consistently stepped in to take on whatever tasks were needed.  




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We hope you will join us next Thursday, Sept. 22, at 4pm Pacific to honor our awardees: