Keys to the City were given out on Thursday in Stockton as part of the annual State of the City address by the mayor.
Mayor Kevin Lincoln said that during his first year on the job, he ensured that every City Council member had the chance to recognize and award a Key to the City.
The first to receive a key were the three founders of the HOPE Program — Anitra Williams, Lisa Lucchesi and Julie Kay — who were nominated by council member Michelle Padilla. The trio’s response to the nursing shortage has impacted the community and kept nurses working in the county.
Before the Hope Program was created, many nursing school graduates were leaving for higher-paying regions to work as registered nurses. Williams, Lucchesi and Kay worked together with other providers and created a pathway to strategically educate, develop, and retain nurses.
Others who received the key included Stockton educator of 50 years Priscilla Wyatt; animal rescuer Jill Antonini; Bank of Stockton Vice-President and Director of Consumer Banking Mary-Elizabeth Eberhardt; president of the Conway Homes Resident Council Pandora Crowder; Geneva Haynes from Mary Magdalene Community Services, who has spent her decades of her life fighting for equality and ensuring access to vital services for everyone; and Georgia Brownlee, who was nominated by the mayor and has served as the president of the Sierra Vista Resident Council, a neighborhood in Stockton, for 24 years.
‘A force to be reckoned with’
“Whether it’s backpack drives, grocery distributions, vaccine clinics, or costume parties for the kids, Georgia is working daily to make sure our youth and families are taken care of physically, mentally, and recreationally,” Lincoln said. “Georgia, you are a force to be reckoned with.”
Another person to receive a key was Juan Heredia, a local diver who recently made headlines for helping locate the body of a teenager who was submerged in the Calaveras River.
After several days of the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office searching the waters near Stagg High School in Stockton, Heredia decided to attempt to locate the student himself. The young boy was believed to have jumped into the water following a campus fight but never resurfaced. Within 30 minutes, Heredia found the body in low-visibility waters.
Many audience members stood up as they watched Heredia accept the award.
“Juan, you are a true hero to everyone in this city,” said the mayor. “Your actions were selfless, courageous, and without hesitation.”
Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.
Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.
