Nominate Someone for the Fran Yehle Friendship Award
Fran Yehle was an activist, very involved in her community. Some of the things she volunteered her time to include low-income housing, mental health, League of Women Voters, environmental preservation, the Lakewood charter, Eiber Elementary School and the RTD light-rail extension into Lakewood. She was one of the founders of the Eiber Neighborhood Association, and helped write the by-laws. She was an avid gardener and her gardens were always gorgeous. Everywhere she went became a better place to be. Oh, and she could knit like nobody’s business! She took her knitting with her everywhere she went, and could carry on a conversation and never miss a stitch!! It is with much love that we created the Fran Yehle Friendship Award. She was the epitome of friendship, and was an extraordinary neighbor.
You know, we have a neighborhood full of good neighbors. We help each other, learn from each other, share our time and knowledge with each other. And there are a few of us who are actually outstanding amongst us. They just go through life, making the world a better place, just like Fran did. We would like to recognize these neighbors every year, even though they do what they do without wanting or needing to be recognized.
To nominate a deserving recipient of the annual Fran Yehle Friendship Award please submit the following information by February 28 of each year. The award will be decided at the March Eiber Neighborhood Association meeting and announced at the Annual Neighborhood Meeting in April.
2024 Fran Yehle Good Neighbor Award Winner !
More information coming soon!
Previous Winners
2023 - Lese Sanchez
Who was Fran Yehle and why do we commemorate her with a good neighbor award? Fran Yehle was one of the founding members of the Eiber Neighborhood Association. She helped write the Neighborhood Plan. She was very active in the community, and an advocate. She was involved in everything Eiber, including the Light Rail. Fran was a Great Neighbor, going above and beyond to make our neighborhood the best it can be. How better do we honor her legacy than to seek others that share her commitment to making the world, especially Eiber, a better place? Let's give a round of applause for our 2023 winner, Lese Sanchez!
Meet our 2023 Fran Yehle award nominees!
Nominee: Sharon Messer
Nominated by: Sharon Dutkevitch
Qualifications: Sharon daily helps our disabled seniors Anything from A-to-Z she can , even with having her own disabilities , at Eiber Village. Sharon also organizes and facilitates special events at Eiber village for our disabled seniors such as Thanksgiving dinner, barbecues, etc.
Nominee: Lese Sanchez
Nominated by: Merry Hansen
Qualifications: Lese loves to help others. During the shut-down, she regularly brought food to a home bound father and son. She took flowers to nearby nursing homes and distributed them to the patients on Valentine's Day. Lese saw more neighbors needing help so she started the Neighbors Helping Neighbors group on Next Door and coordinates donation efforts including Christmas gifts, clothes and food.
Nominee: Charissa Hammer
Nominated by: Kaitlyn Mennitt
Qualifications: This year our house was undergoing a renovation and the Hammer family offered us their home to stay in. Initially, they were going to be out of town, but when they were not out of town and we were supposed to move in, they moved into an airstream in their front yard. When we were supposed to leave for Maine and our family there got Covid, Charissa and Jay offered to stay displaced at a friends home so we did not have to move our kids again. When my son had to go to the hospital and my husband was out of town, Charissa took my daughter for the night and they made sprinkle pancakes the next morning. Charissa is a caring neighbor that goes above and beyond to help not only my family but many others on the block.
2019 - Carrie Sonneborn!
Carrie Sonneborn has been the driving force behind Eiber's participation in the City of Lakewood’s award-winning Sustainable Neighborhoods Program. At the first Eiber Neighborhood Association (ENA) meeting that she attended, president, Paul Ditson, mentioned the Sustainable Neighborhoods Program and Carrie immediately volunteered.
From there she single-handed publicized the initiative and established the Resilience Circle to build community connections based on shared interest in local Sustainability. Carrie’s focus has always been on reaching out to involve neighbors in making Eiber a cleaner, healthier place to live for all.
Eiber was the first Outstanding Sustainable Neighborhood in Lakewood, a designation that is based on the number of activities and participants. When the Sustainable Neighborhoods Program won a National Planning Association Award, Carrie spoke at their national conference at the invitation of the City of Lakewood Sustainability Division. Some of the projects she has spearheaded include the Resilience Circle, Bee Safe Eiberhood, Food Rescue at The Action Center, Annual Eiberhood Garden Tour, Annual Sustainable Eiber Picnic, and a fun Stitch ‘n Bitch Group.
She was also an early adopter of NextDoor.com who set up the Eiberhood Neighborhood based on the official boundaries of Eiber (Colfax – Wadsworth – 6th Ave – Oak), albeit with a ‘donut hole’ in the middle (10th & Garrison neighborhood). Nextdor.com has proven to be an invaluable tool for community building.
She has lived in Eiber since 2004 but it wasn’t until she attended that fateful ENA meeting in 2011/2012 where Paul sought a volunteer for the Sustainable Neighborhoods Program, that she got a chance to meet her neighbors and build community around making Eiber more Sustainable.
2018 - Jim Raviolo!
I am pleased to introduce to you to this year’s recipient of the Fran Yehle Friendship Award, Mr. Jim Rabiolo! C’mon up, Jim!
Jim was selected to receive this prestigious award because of his generous contributions as our “Neighborhood Photographer”. Jim grew up with a love of photography, so the camera in his hand just feels natural. He shows up at all of the community events with his camera and, sometimes, a tripod. He really enjoys documenting events for the neighborhood, then seeing them posted on our website.
His favorite events include those promoting sustainability, natural foods and a safe and healthy environment. When he’s not snapping photos, Jim enjoys working in the garden, composting, and giving back to the community. This year, Jim is going to invite wood bees to his back yard! Not to be confused with wanna-bees!
Jim, we appreciate your fun personality, and your dedication to preserving our community in beautiful photographs. We are all very lucky to have you as a neighbor. Thanks for all you do!
2017 - Gerald Lopez
The Fran Yehle award is presented to an individual, who lives in the Eiber Neighborhood, and among other things, has given so much of their time and attention, for free, to make us a better community.
At our annual meeting, the Eiber Neighborhood Board voted unanimously to give this award to Betsy Lopez and family, posthumously, in honor and celebration of Gerald Lopez Senior. Gerald passed away unexpectedly on September 13, 2016, at his home in Lakewood, Colorado.
Gerald gave so much back to the Eiber community in which he lived. He was instrumental in the once Barren Park, being developed and renamed into what is now Richey Park, located at 1301 Carr Street. Gerald loved and played many a game of horseshoes in his time, which is why, to his last breath, was trying to get the 2 (two) pits back in Richey Park. At the time of his passing, one (1) had been reinstalled and a petition had been given to the City of Lakewood. As of the writing of this article, the City has agreed to keep their agreement and reinstall the second (2) horseshoe pit.
Gerald was also very busy in his efforts when RTD installed the light rail system, a time of significant change in the Eiber Neighborhood. Gerald was known for driving hid red pick-up truck, usually with his disabled son Thomas at his side. There was hardly ever a Wednesday night community meal at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church that Gerald missed. The first meal after his going to meet the Great Spirit, the chair and spot at the table where he always sat was left vacant.
2016 - Lois Witte and Penny Kunter
This year we have elected two very important neighborhood women to receive the Fran Yehle Friendship Award. Lois Witte and Penny Kunter have complimented each other beautifully in the development of the community garden. While Lois uses her negotiation and organizational skills working things through the bureaucracy, Penny is organizing the kids and the volunteers on the ground.
It is due to the tireless efforts of Lois Witte that we even have a community garden. She worked countless hours writing grant proposals, arranging meetings with officials from Jeffco Public Schools to obtain approval of the garden location, and for the school to provide the water. She also met with Denver Urban Gardens and poured through page after page of their rules and regulations. She helped form a Garden Committee, solicited for in kind donations of tools and a shed to put them in. It is with heartfelt thanks that we award Lois Witte the Fran Yehle Friendship Award, for being a Good Neighbor and for her efforts towards improving life in our community.
Penny Kunter has had an equally challenging responsibility as the Garden Leader and Master Gardener. Under her leadership, beds were built, both ground level and raised beds, compost was brought in, and the community came together to prepare the plots for the first planting season. She has taught adults and children the benefits of proper gardening, often repeating the same lessons over and over. It is with heartfelt thanks that we award Penny Kunter the Fran Yehle Friendship Award, for being a Good Neighbor and for her efforts towards improving life in our community.
2015 - Charlotte Shepic
Charlotte was a member of St. Paul’s church for 13 years or more before retiring last year. With her incredible sense of community, her role at the church became one of building relationships within the community, including with other churches. She helped develop Vacation Bible School in conjunction with Holy Family Lutheran church. She was instrumental in raising money for our Eiber Community Garden. She is the one who arranged for us to have our annual meetings here at the church. She has a great personality, always smiling and not just ready to help, but seeking out opportunities to help others, perhaps a family or a child in need. She was present at the Grand Opening of the West Line Light Rail, handing out cookies at the Garrison Station and even arranged for the children’s choir to provide entertainment. She is well loved and sorely missed by her church family and the Eiber neighborhood. It is for these reasons and more that Charlotte has been elected to receive the first ever Fran Yehle Friendship Award.