Bianca Ochoa is shown with her parents, Efrain and Gricelda Ochoa. They are very proud that she has been chosen as the first recipient of the John Moran Youth Award. It is being given by the City of Galt’s I Love My Town organization in recognition of Ochoa’s volunteerism and dedication to her town.

By Valerie McGill
Staff Writer - The recent death of one of Galt’s top volunteers caused City Councilperson Barbara Payne to ponder what could be done to honor this man who gave so much to his community.
John Moran has helped out in so many ways and for many years. Even though he had a hard time getting around physically, he didn’t let that stop him from helping his community whenever possible.
Payne contacted Moran’s widow, Debbie, and daughter, Sarah, to check with them about the idea of giving an award in his memory. She told them that it would be given to someone who exemplifies the volunteering spirit that Moran had so richly shown in his life.
Payne said that John Moran was a shining example of what volunteering in one’s community is all about.
“It is a wonderful tribute to John’s memory,” said Debbie. She is very pleased that Payne and the city plan to honor her husband this way. “I think it’s great to honor students and important to validate their service to our community.”
After Debbie’s appreciative response, Payne approached members of an I Love My Town meeting and later Galt Youth Committee members. Kim Griffin, Joanne Forbing, Suzanna Flores, Carrie Maylum, and Janet Munoz agreed that it was a good idea, and now it was time to find a youth worthy of the award.
A committee was formed to nominate prospective students. Al Baldwin, Duane Ausherman, and Kymm Griffin, who are all I Love My Town volunteers, made up the group.
Baldwin came up with criteria for the recipient. They should be responsible, of excellent character, show volunteerism, community service, have a giving spirit, show respect and generosity for others, have moral goodness, be encouraging, and do their personal best.
“We found a youth that goes above and beyond what is expected of her,” said Baldwin. She is there for us every time we need her. She’s positive and polite. She’s committed and follows through. She’s respected by her peers and can really round up volunteers for an event.
Griffin, who heads the committee, said that she believes they made a very good choice when they picked Bianca Ochoa to be their first recipient of the John Moran Youth Award.
Ochoa was very pleased and surprised when she was told of the award. She started getting involved in her community when she attended her church youth group in ninth grade. Before that, she was mainly involved with dance through the Top Hat Dance Studio and had tried tennis. Ochoa remembers a very poignant moment in her life where, as a 10th grader, her St. Christopher’s youth group, Soldados de Cristos (Soldiers of Christ), wrapped presents and presented them to young women at a halfway home. Women coming out of jail and abusive relationships came there to recover and be reunited with their children. She remembers how appreciative they were and how they were trying to start their lives over. She became a community service officer. She also joined the Avid Club at Galt High, which is dedicated to persuing higher education.
She’s been in the La Raza Club, as a publicity officer in 11th grade and president in 12th grade. Ochoa has helped with her church’s Fall Festivals. She’s also attended informational sessions on how to help the Priest give Holy Communion and has actually helped in the ceremony at church.
She applied for the Galt City Council Youth Committee/Galt Youth Action Team. One of the reasons she was interested was because she noticed gang graffiti around the town and wanted to do something about it. She was picked along with three other teens. She serves as secretary. Ochoa hopes to get a committee together to help clean up the graffiti. She would like to influence kids to get out of gangs and give them a place where they can keep busy and stay out of trouble.
She has had to do phone calling to recruit volunteers for different events, hand out fliers, and promote events. She designed a certificate of recognition for volunteers. She helped with the Napoleon Dynamite Days, one of the first events put on by the Youth Committee. Ochoa made signs and sold water.
The Galt Skate Park Pro-Impact Stunt Exhibition was another event where she helped. She helped with the Boys and Girls Club Christmas present giveaway and the Crafting with Santa fundraiser. She’s had to do paperwork for the events. She’s had to call and recruit volunteers for events, and has had so many that they had to turn some away.
Ochoa translated the Measure B buttons in Spanish for Baldwin and an informational flier for CAPS. She said that she tries to do things in English and Spanish so that both communities can be reached.
“We are very proud of her,” said Gricelda Ochoa, Bianca’s mom. Besides her volunteer work, she also does very good in school. In the STAR test, she came in top in her class in the language arts category.
Ochoa said that she appreciates her brothers’ help, Efrain and Erick, who she brings with her to several of the events. Also she is grateful to her parents, Efrain and Gricelda, for all their help, especially in driving her to where she needs to go since she hasn’t gotten her license yet. She may possibly attend the University of the Pacific (UOP) in Stockton.
The Youth Action Committee has plans for a Valentine Dance with a WWII theme in February.