Resident receives Woman of Distinction honor
Supervisor Janet Nguyen honored “Women of Distinction” at the Huntington Beach Art Center on April 22. One of the women honored was LW’s own Mutual 5 resident Anna Derby.
Nguyen spoke about how important women are in “getting things done,” and how they can be tireless forces in their communities.
There were about 100 women chosen for this distinction. There was a light refreshment reception after the photo op with the Nguyen.
The certificate said, “Your remarkable leadership and impact in sharing our community. Among the many inspiring women who served and uplift others, you stand out as a true Woman of Distinction, embodying resilience, compassion and excellence.”
Derby is a first-generation immigrant and held offices in the Korean American Club and the Multi-Cultural Council. She served as an officer for the Korean American Club for five years and recognized what could help the first generation immigrants and created the Sunshine Club. The club meets every Friday and schedules informative speakers to the LW community.
Derby has always been an advocate for education. The Sunshine Club attracted many people who were immigrants with English as a second language when it first began and regularly has a large attendance.
Derby is also the president of the Golden Age Foundation (GAF), which was Leisure World’s first 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which has been in existence since 1973.
The GAF Board has sponsored many free programs including mobility aid rentals, the hospitality program, income tax filing, battery recycling, shredding, Salvation Army donation events, and other programs.
One of the GAF’s most recent grants is adding new TVs with captioning to the meeting rooms in Clubhouse 3 for the Impaired Vision and Hearing Club. This will benefit not only those with impaired hearing and vision, but it will also help translate meetings to over 20 different languages to help all residents understand what is happening during the GRF board or committee meetings.
All of the programs sponsored by GAF benefit the LW community.
—Linda Johnson
