Jan Hawkins Named Woman Of The Year By Senator Jim Battin For 37th District

Sacramento – Today, Senator Jim Battin (R – La Quinta) announced Jan Hawkins as the 37th Senate District’s Woman of the Year for 2006.

“Jan Hawkins’s commitment to the children of the Coachella Valley serves as a source of inspiration to all with whom she comes in contact. Her achievements in education, community service and fundraising for educational opportunities for children exemplify her commitment to lead by example,” said Battin.

Since 1987 the California State Legislature has recognized the outstanding contributions of remarkable women by having a “Woman of the Year” ceremony in Sacramento. The ceremony this year is scheduled for Monday, March 20th and will be held in the Senate Chambers, followed by a breakfast reception at the State Capitol.

As Development Director for the Coachella Valley Boys and Girls Club, President of the Palm Desert High School Education Foundation, Vice President of Philanthropy for the National Charity League, wife and mother, Jan Hawkins has devoted herself tirelessly to the community. Jan also served as campaign coordinator for the successful Measure K Bond initiative that captured $457 million for the school system and helped establish the Coachella Valley’s Odyssey of the Mind program for students.

“It is a sincere honor to help recognize the outstanding efforts of individuals, such as Jan Hawkins, who are so committed to making a difference in the lives of young people,” concluded Battin.

Battin’s past honorees include renowned Philanthropist and Business women Edra Blickseth and Jackie Lee Houston, Susan Hawk of Imperial County, longtime Indio activist Cherry Ishimatsu, Housing and Public Safety activist and current Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, Highway 86 activist and Coachella Valley School Board Member Marge Freeman, Lynn Moriarty of Shelter From the Storm, Agricultural Consultant Ellen Sanders Way of La Quinta, Ana Rascon of La Prensa Hispana Newspaper, the Honorable Barbara Gonzales Lyons, Vice Chair, of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and Barbara Sinatra for her ongoing commitment to children with the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center.