3 Gilroy Recipients Honored With Community Spirit Awards

GILROY, CA — The Gavilan College Board of Trustees awarded three Gilroy recipients with 2021 Community Spirit Awards for their contributions to improving the quality of life in the communities served by the college district.

Along with recipients in Morgan Hill and San Benito County, an individual, organization and business were each chosen for the honor in Gilroy. The honorees were Suzanne Bulle, Neon Exchange and the Gilroy Rodeo.

Bulle, a former executive assistant to the superintendent/president at Gavilan College, was recognized for continuing to give back, filling in and volunteering at the campus.

Neon Exchange, a coworking space in Gilroy, and its owner, Toni Bowles, were recognized for organizing community activities, including spearheading Halloween decorations along downtown businesses during the pandemic. Bowles also agreed early in the pandemic for the space to become an area to donate packaged food for unhoused individuals, according to a news release.

The Gilroy Rodeo was honored as an event that brought rodeo and “the spirit of western heritage” back to Gilroy. The rodeo, which was brought back in 2018 for the first time since 1956, is a non-profit that strives to return all profits to youth organizations in the area.

The awards will be presented by Gavilan College Superintendent/President Kathleen Rose, outdoors in a personal visit to each recipient and one or more members from the board of trustees.