Cheerleading the chamber

I went to the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting & Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency.

Now before you say, “Didn’t you have anything better to do?” know that I went there this year as one of the honorees. More about that below.

Each year the chamber gathers to recognize the many people, who in conjunction with the paid staff, are responsible for putting on many of the wonderful events that happen around town.

If you get out much, many of those names are probably familiar to you. People like Lula Halfacre, Brett Hemphill, Debra Legan, Paul King, Bill Gunderson, Dorothy Larson, Ralph Rodheim, Seymour Beek and 60-plus others.

Now mind you, this isn’t everyone.

Just the creme de la creme.

Obviously, to put on events as big and complex as the Taste of Newport and the Christmas Boat Parade, it takes hundreds of people.

Now, let’s be honest, sometimes, especially during the political season (and we all know that that is coming up), the chamber takes a bad rap as being an organization only concerned with business.

They don’t care about our town, the naysayers will yell. They’re just concerned with business.

A luncheon like Thursday’s seems to tell you otherwise. Many of those in attendance are not only business people, like me, they’re also our residents.

And many of the events they support and commit to are also not strictly business-related.

Here’s an example: How many of you parents have had your children honored at the scholarship or athletic awards breakfasts that recognize the best that Newport Harbor and Corona Del Mar high schools have to offer?

Here’s a better question, how many of you parents wish you had kids honored there?

OK, me too.

Or, maybe you’ve attended the sandcastle contest that rallies the community annually around some pretty amazing sand sculptures on the beaches of Corona Del Mar.

And, if nothing else, you had to have seen the Christmas Boat Parade. Millions did. In fact, this year alone it was covered in 28 different states across the country. Heck, there was even an 11- to 12-minute segment on “The Tonight Show.”

Yup, all the work of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to the volunteer of the year awards, the chamber also presents the Silver Anchor Award. It’s an award that started back in 1967 and honors those members of the community who “contribute to the betterment of the business, residential, civic and recreational environment in the Newport Beach area.”

Two recipients this year, yours truly and Roger Alford.

Roger, a partner in Hausmaninger Benoe Lang Alford & Geselowitz, CPAs, is certainly deserving. In the past he’s headed up the Taste of Newport and the Fire and Lifeguard Appreciation Beach Party. Each, in fact, several times.

He’s served the chamber board since 1994 in almost every capacity ? government affairs chair all the way up to chairman of the board of the chamber itself.

Roger was also named commodore of the year in 2005 and this year will head up that same group.

His list of accomplishments goes on and on. He’s actually an accountant with a personality. Imagine that.

As for me being honored, because this is one of those awards that is for years of service, the first thing I did was call my doctor to find out if my health is OK.

I thought that maybe something was wrong and I hadn’t found out yet.

The real thanks for the award and our commitment to the community go to my cohorts at the Daily Pilot who, day in and day out, get the job done and make my life out there in public that much easier.

To all recipients and to my staff, thanks for all you do.