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Page 6 November 2, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE
TerriAnn in Torrance
The Mayor’s Well Kept Secret in Torrance--At Least for Awhile, That Is…
Story and Photos by TerriAnn Ferren
Tuesday evening October 10, I attended
the Torrance City Council meeting where
Ghislaine Davis and Debbie Hays were receiving
the Citizen of the Year Award. The
chambers were abuzz with excitement and a
large crowd had shown up for the festivities.
Family and friends eagerly waiting for item
#6C on the agenda, which read, “Recognition
of Ghislaine Davis and Debbie Hays.”
Ghislaine (Ges) Davis was first to receive
her award, Citizen of the Year. Mayor Patrick
J. Furey began with a quote from Anne Frank,
“How wonderful it is that nobody need to
wait for a single moment before starting to
improve the world.” The Mayor then reiterated
the accomplishments of Ghislaine, Director
of South Bay Village, a non-profit that helps
seniors remain in their homes. She founded
South Bay Village in 2014 and, along with
an army of volunteers, does everything from
assisting seniors with shopping to providing
transportation to helping with minor home
tasks. Before starting South Bay Village,
Ghislaine worked as a program manager for
RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program).
In addition to all this, Ghislaine maintained
the Community Volunteer Alert Network,
an independent radio program which functions
as a self-activated emergency service.
Ghislaine has also been appointed to the
Torrance Commission on Aging, and served
on the Disaster Preparedness Council for the
City of Torrance. She has been recognized by
the Los Angeles County Supervisor, Janice
Hahn, former Supervisor Don Knabe, the
SeniorServ Meals on Wheels Program, and
the Switzer Learning Center. Last year, she
eceived the 2016 AARP California Andrus
Award for Community Service. After Mayor
Furey completed the long list of accomplishments,
Ghislaine received her award and said,
“Thank you very, very much. Thank you,
Mayor and City Council who have constantly
supported the South Bay Village. I am here to
accept this award, but I am moving forward.
I love this, I love the seniors, especially here
in Torrance and they need us…”
Next, the Mayor began to introduce the
second award. But he made a turn. The
second recognition wasn’t an additional
Citizen of the Year Award. It was a surprise,
as he began with the words, “And now, for
our second honoree tonight. The City has a
prestigious award that recognizes citizens
for sustained service to the community. The
Jared Sidney Torrance Award was established
in 1984. The Torrance City Council presents
the award to citizens who have served the
community continuously throughout their
lifetime of leadership and dedication.” He
then asked the shocked, and very surprised,
Debbie Hays to join him as he read through
her accomplishments, referring to her as the
“Energizer Bunny of Torrance.”
Debbie was born and raised in Torrance,
lives in downtown Torrance and is immersed
into every fiber of our town. She is the Community
Relations Officer of the Old Torrance
Neighborhood Association, and the First Vice
President of the Torrance Historical Society.
She served on the Centennial Anniversary
Team and also on the Torrance High School
Centennial Committee, among many other
volunteer hats.
Debbie is married to Todd Hays and they
have two sons, Jett and Grant. It is no surprise
that Debbie finds time for the PTAs at Torrance
Elementary, JH Hull and Torrance High
School. She has also spent six years teaching
art with the Adventures in Art Program at
Torrance Elementary. Debbie is co-founder
of Secret Hearts, a non-profit organization
that adopts families during Christmas, and
is an Ambassador for the Children’s Hospital.
“The list could keep going and going,
just like the Energizer Bunny,” said Mayor
Furey, “Debbie, for all the ways you make
Torrance a better place to live, work, study,
gather and play, and on behalf of the Torrance
Community, I am honored to present
you with the Jared Sidney Torrance Award.”
Debbie then spoke, after a standing ovation
and thunderous applause. “Thank you very
much…oh, my gosh, I can’t believe it,” she
said. “Wow. I want to thank you for this
award. I feel kind of guilty for getting an
award for doing what I love because that is
my reward and since Dee Hardison, our late
Dee Hardison, began shaking my world in
elementary school--and since I hang out with
the likes of Janet Payne, also a Jared Sidney
Torrance Award recipient, it was in the stars
that I was to live a life of community service.
My mom used to ask me, ‘Do you ever go
to sleep the same day you wake up?’ You
can tell by my dark circles, that answer is
no.” Debbie then told the story of her eldest
son who once mentioned to her that she
wouldn’t be so tired if she didn’t volunteer
so much--to which Debbie responded, “Then
who would do it?”
Saying Debbie was surprised is a huge
understatement. A recess was called while the
crowd congratulated both honorees. Everyone
was congratulating the award winners. Then
I asked Ghislaine Davis how she felt about
receiving her award. “I never expected it
when they first called me,” she admitted. “I
said they must have made a mistake. The
volunteers are the ones that really deserve
the credit.”
Making my way through the crowd, I asked
Mayor Furey how he kept the secret about
Debbie winning the Jared Sidney Torrance
Award and he said, with a twinkle in his
eye, “I told absolutely no one. I had staff
involved and that was it. Everybody else
was sworn to secrecy. I sent Debbie a letter
that we were going to give her Citizen of
the Year because we forgot to give one last
year--and if she would forgive me and if she
would be so gracious as to come.”
Others weighed in on the Jared Sidney
Torrance Award recipient. Councilman Milton
Herring said, “…You mean the highest award?
The highest honor that anybody can get in
the city of Torrance--the one that everybody
would love to have bestowed on them? That
award? That award has just been given to an
amazing woman, Debbie Hays. I think that
phrase we used, the Energizer Bunny--she has
a lot of energy and a lot of passion. She is
just a wonderful person to be around and it
couldn’t have happened to a better person.”
Councilman Mike Griffiths said, “Well,
of all the people who have not received the
award, I think that she is the most deserving
person we have in the community that has
worked tirelessly and knows everything in the
community more than a City Council member.
She is a fabulous asset to the community
and deserves the accolades. Ms. Davis--I
nominated her for Woman of the Year for the
Switzer Center, and she is deserving for all
the work she does with senior citizens. She
is another great asset. We are lucky to have
so many great assets in our community.”
Councilman Geoff Rizzo said, “I think it
is a great honor for her and I think it is long
overdue. She has been the Energizer Bunny
of Torrance, and she certainly is. Every time
you turn around at an event, she is involved…
that is what makes Torrance strong is the
volunteerism.”
When I asked partner in crime and now
fellow Jared Sidney Torrance recipient Janet
Payne how she felt about Debbie Hays receiving
the highest award in the city she beamed
and said, “Oh my. I am in the presence of a
very special person and I love being her friend
and partner in crime and I feel so lucky. It
is about her, but she is on my speed dial! I
was beyond feeling so happy for her because
you know she is our Community Relations
Committee and like the Mayor said, she was
on social media before anybody was.”
Councilman Tim Goodrich said, “Very
happy that Debbie is the recipient of the
Jared Sidney Torrance Award. It is very
well deserved. I like her quote about never
being bored.”
Councilwoman Heidi Ann Ashcraft told me,
“I think Debbie is one of the most deserving
people for a number of years. Her energy
makes me tired every single day and I look
forward to her coming to City Council pretty
much every week because of her energy and
telling us all the things going on in the city of
Torrance and why we should be there. Ghis
Davis works so hard for our seniors. I can’t
believe what she has done and because I tend
to be in that senior group, I look forward to
the help I am going to get when I need it.”
Former Mayor Frank Scotto said, “I am
excited, because having received the award
myself, Debbie is the person that I believe
should have been before me because I think
she is so much more of a volunteer--and I
am a good volunteer--but I believe when
they call her the Energizer Bunny, that is
truly a fact. I have many times called her to
talk to her about something. She is right on
it. If I had any event I wanted to do in the
city of Torrance that I wanted volunteers, I
would start with Debbie. In the dictionary
when you see the word volunteer, they will
have her face next to it.” Cindy Scotto told
me, “Debbie is the hardest working person
I have ever known. Very deserving of this
award. Congratulations!”
Former Councilman Tom Brewer commented,
“She has so much energy and she
gets so much done. You want something
done, give it to Debbie.”
Well, that pretty much sums up both awards
and that very special evening with Ghislaine
Davis receiving the Citizen of the Year, and
Debbie Hays receiving the Jared Sidney
Torrance Award. A double whammy, as they
say. Sincere accolades, kudos, congratulatory
words and hugs were the order of the night.
The City of Torrance honors those who
work diligently, without regard for awards or
medals. Maybe that is the reason these two
recipients are so deserving of their awards.
Their love is freely given to others in the
community. Congratulations! •
(L-R) Debbie Hays’ mom Patricia Simpson, Debbie, Grant, Jett and Todd Hays.
Mayor of Torrance Patrick Furey and Citizen of the Year Ghislaine Davis.
(L-R) Councilman Milton Herring I, Councilwoman Heidi Ann Ashcraft, Councilman Mike Griffiths, Mayor Patrick Furey, Debbie Hays,
Councilman Tim Goodrich, Councilman Kurt Weideman, and Councilman Geoff Rizzo.