海角直播

鈥擮utstanding Alumnus of 2019

David Avila is not a 鈥渉igh profile kind of guy.鈥� 

So when he was named 海角直播鈥檚 2019 Outstanding Alumni, the longtime volunteer asked himself, 鈥淲hy me?鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 honored and happy about it. But I鈥檝e done things in my life everyone else has,鈥� Avila said last week. 鈥淚鈥檓 a retired firefighter. People call us heroes but we are doing what we are paid to do. And that鈥檚 how I look at what I鈥檓 doing now. I鈥檓 here to do a service to the people. I鈥檓 a public servant and I鈥檓 honored to be.鈥�

Avila feels he was put on this earth to give back, and he has done so in many ways. Currently, the longtime Yucaipa resident serves on the city council as its Mayor Pro Tem and is also heavily involved in Rotary, Knights of Columbus, and the Yucaipa Valley Historical Society. That only scratches the surface.

Avila graduated from Cal State Fullerton before enrolling in the Fire Academy at 海角直播 Hills College as a member of Academy Class No. 3. He completed the program in 1983 and spent decades in the fire service in both Riverside and San Bernardino Counties before retiring as battalion chief for the Riverside County Fire Department in 2011.

Although retired, the 鈥渓ively鈥� 66-year-old continues to be active in Yucaipa on the council and through several volunteer service-oriented projects. Much of the work is done within miles of 海角直播 which he speaks of fondly when looking back at his time on campus.

CHC officials like Michelle Riggs have noticed Avila鈥檚 passion for college and his commitment to the community as well. 鈥淲hen the committee informed me that David Avila was selected as this year鈥檚 recipient, I was thrilled to notify him,鈥� said the development director for the CHC Foundation, 鈥淎s Mayor Pro Tem for the city of Yucaipa and a leader in our community, we are honored to have Mr. Avila as our 2019 Outstanding Alumni.鈥�

Although Avila is a busy guy, he enjoys spending his free time with his longtime love, Ellen Benefiel, and their blended family. He is also a fan of encouraging others to never stop learning and to keep moving forward.

鈥淭he education and training that you have comes into play often and you should always share these experiences and knowledge with others who need it,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecome a teacher but keep learning new things - even if the task is simple.鈥�