City Of Walnut: Black History Month - Community Honorees

Press release from the City of Walnut:

February 22, 2022

In recognition of Black History Month, the City of Walnut is pleased to honor some of our own community members who have volunteered their time and efforts into nurturing Walnut's diverse community.

Read more about them in their biographies below!

Bridget & Marc Saunders

Bridget and Marc Saunders moved from the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles to the serene City of Walnut in 1989. They moved to Walnut for the same reason that many people do: to start new beginnings and raise their three children in a stable environment, with great schools. Their adult children Erbie, Nicole, and Michael, have memories rooted in Walnut nostalgia due to attending Vejar Elementary, Suzanne Middle School, and Walnut High School. Marc and Bridget made sure their children were active in the wonderful sports programs Walnut has to offer, including Pony Baseball, Walnut Youth Softball, the NJB Basketball, and Walnut Jr All-American Football.

Not only did the Saunders ensure the safety of their children was maintained, but through their work as peace officers, they preserved the safety of the entire Walnut community. Both Marc and Bridget served the citizens of Walnut as Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriffs for over thirty years. Both were assigned, at different times, to Walnut Station.

In addition to their three children, they are the proud grandparents of nine grandchildren (five cunning boys and four conscientious girls). Their daughter, Nikki, has followed in their footsteps and made it a point to have her children attend Walnut schools as she once did.

Bridget and Marc have strong roots in the city of Walnut. Community members know the “cop house with the friendly faces.” Neighbors know who to come to if they are feeling lost or looking for advice. Bridget and Marc represent Walnut in a rather profound way. Walnut is a beautiful city for people who want to live comfortably and create prosperity in their community, and that is exactly what Marc and Bridget have been doing for the past thirty years.

In their spare time, Bridget and Marc enjoy attending all kinds of sporting events, wine tasting, and RV’ng with their family and close friends.

Denise Smotherman

As a 30-year resident in the City of Walnut, Denise is proud to call this area home. She was surprised to get the call regarding the nomination and feels very proud and honored to be receiving such an award during this 2022 Black History Month.

Denise was raised by very civic-minded parents and she has tried to follow the same example. Since moving to the City of Walnut, her and her husband Greg started a USATF youth track & field team called Free Spirit Condors Track Club. They have trained, sponsored, and mentored well over 200 youngsters from 5 to 18 years old. They’ve also trained several Walnut High School standouts, and many of those earned college scholarships.

One of their athletes, Joshua Mance started his love for track with them on the Free Spirit TC. He ran track in college and then became a USATF Olympian in 2012. Their athletes learned to run, jump, and throw. They also realized that participating in sports and having good grades can assist them in getting into college and/or receiving scholarships.

The other youth on Free Spirit TC athletes also learned several different T&F events and that running can benefit them for life. The majority of their athletes are Walnut residents, but they also had kids that came from neighboring cities. She has proudly taken athletes all over the United States to compete in the National Junior Olympics, including several athletes from Walnut High School.

Since 2001, she has been USATF’s National Youth Record Keeper, which is a job she enjoys doing. Over the years, they have established relationships with Mt. SAC, CIF, Sports Magazines, and several other entities here in Walnut.

Denise really loves training youngsters in the sport of track & Field. She is also taking some of her kids with her to feed the homeless. She loves interacting with people of all ages, but youth is her biggest concern. Denise still has meaningful relationships with all of the families that they have had the pleasure of training and mentoring. She’s proud that they have become good athletes and better students. Denise calls them academic athletes “acculetes” (which is a word she made up).

The City of Walnut has been a pleasant home base for Denise. She has enjoyed her involvement with the youth in this area and she considers it just a small contribution to the community. Denise is humbled and thankful for being recognized for such a meaningful occasion.

Humbly Submitted,
Denise Smotherman

Charles & Elvonne Vance

Charles and Elvonne Vance moved to the City of Walnut in November 1987, nearly 35 years ago.

While living in the City of Walnut, Charles did extensive volunteer work within the City of Walnut community. This includes volunteer coaching for various sports including basketball, football, and softball. He also served as President for All-American Football and Walnut Youth Softball Associates. He spent many hours volunteering his time to Snack Bar duty and also within the classroom at Collegewood Elementary school. Charles also received the “Partner in Education Award” for his volunteer work at Collegewood Elementary.

Elvonne is a member of the Walnut Valley Women’s Club, where she helps with donations to schools in the district that may be suffering from financial hardships. She is also the corresponding secretary where she writes thank you cards to every principal, school staff member, Fire stations, and the Sheriff’s Department for all they do for the schools and keeping the community safe.

She has spent time passing out candy at the City of Walnut’s Halloween Trunk-or-Treat event and has done various fundraisers to raise money to provide scholarship opportunities to students from both Walnut & Nogales High School.

Elvonne is also a Team Mom for the Walnut Youth Softball Team at Suzanne Park. She was previously a team mom for NJB, Walnut Basketball league, Junior All-American football and cheer.

Charles and Elvonne are both retired now and enjoying their time giving back to the community. Charles retired after 48 years with NORTHROP and Elvonne retired after 44 years of being a teacher, with 29 of those years at the Walnut Unified School District.

William Harrison

William Harrison, also known as Mr. Harrison, has been a City of Walnut resident for nearly 32 years.

Mr. Harrison is passionate about education and diversity within the community. He was an educator for 40 years in various school districts throughout Los Angeles County and also served as a Site Council Member for both Oswalt Academy and Nogales High School.

He is very well-known by his community members & City staff for his dedication to keeping Walnut one of the best places to live. In 2020, he was selected by Mayor Bob Pacheco to serve on the City of Walnut Mayor’s Advisory Committee, where he worked with other members of the community to generate ideas that would better serve the residents.

One of the ideas he proposed was a Diversity project, which will soon be breaking ground at Creekside Park. This project will be a direct representation of the diversity of residents that call the City of Walnut their home.

Mr. Harrison is highly respected by all members of the Walnut staff for his continual feedback on ways to improve City services and commitment to keeping the City accountable.

He also volunteers his time by walking in the neighborhoods every morning and reporting any maintenance needs to staff or other City service request.

An Army Veteran and Loyola post graduate, Mr. Harrison is a proud resident of the City and continues to be a community activist to ensure Walnut is the best place to live for future generations to come.

This press release was produced by the City of Walnut. The views expressed here are the author’s own.