On Feb. 14, depending on the state of the pandemic, I’ll either be at the City Council chambers at Palm Springs City Hall, or I’ll be on a Zoom awards ceremony—because the Independent is being honored due to our work during the pandemic.
The City of Palm Springs Human Rights Commission is honoring eight organizations and individuals with its annual Community Service Awards. According to the announcement, “This year’s eight outstanding honorees significantly enhanced the quality of life in Palm Springs when the community was in crisis managing the pandemic.”
The organizations being honored are Vaccinate Inland Empire (VAXIE), due to the group’s amazing efforts to help people get vaccinated; and the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation, for increasing awareness of and access to COVID-19-related health services.
The individuals are Ann Sheffer, for her investment in local arts; Chad Gardner, a restaurant owner with a history of giving to and supporting the community; Nikki Stone, for volunteering time to numerous local organizations; Vincent Corrales, for preparing/delivering meals and running errands for people in need; and Blackbook owner Dean Lavine, for his support of charitable and fundraising events.
The final individual being honored is, well, yours truly.
Here’s what the award announcement said: “Jimmy Boegle is recognized for aligning business goals and initiatives with causes and social issues that benefit the broader community during a time of significant challenges for him personally. Founder, editor and publisher of the Coachella Valley Independent, Jimmy Boegle is committed to keeping the community informed of the pandemic science and data from the medical community. Jimmy is credited for keeping honest, ethical, independent local journalism alive during the COVID crises while at the same time supporting nonprofit organizations, promoting youth housing, and access to health and social services. Like most businesses, revenue streams were severely impacted by the impact of the pandemic. The changing economy and competition from tech platforms made it difficult to continue to deliver honest, local and transparent journalism. Jimmy Boegle stayed true to his values and commitment to the community he serves and continued to keep the community informed so they could manage the pandemic safely and make informed decisions.”
I’d like to thank some folks. First: Thank you to the City of Palm Springs Human Rights Commission for the honor.
Second: A huge thank-you to the Independent’s staff and contributors. I feel a bit sheepish about being personally honored like this, because in reality, this honor goes to everyone involved with the Independent; the paper is a product of all our hard work and creativity, after all.
Finally, I want to thank you, our readers. Without you, the Independent would not exist. Thank you for your support, both moral and financial, throughout this seemingly never-ending pandemic.
Thanks, as always for reading—and be sure to pick up the February 2022 print edition of the Coachella Valley Independent—our annual Arts Issue.
Congratulations! Well deserved.