Maria Norvell, right, never really thought she see Sacramento again. But then the phone rang last Monday. She learned she had been selected by State Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal as the 54th District's Woman of the Year. It was the second time Norvell had been recognized. In 2001, Jenny Oropeza selected Norvell as the Woman of the Year in what was then the 55th District.
"I thought, oh my gosh, It was so surprising," Norvell said when she had won a second award.
"I didn't think I'd be that way again," said Norvell, who was feted at an California State Assembly gathering in Sacramento.
Norvell was recognized for her years of community activism in the Wrigley area and throughout Long Beach.
Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, honored Norvell at a gathering attended by all 80 Assembly members.
Norvell is a founding member of the Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliance, currently
serving as the President of the organization. She has also chaired the Daisy Avenue Christmas Tree Lane & Parade for 21 years and serves in integral roles with the Long Beach's Veteran's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cambodian New Year parades.
The long-time resident also has had a long association with police organizations, She served on Long Beach's Public Safety Commissioner for 12 years and is a member of the Police Chief's Executive Advisory Group for the Neighborhood Watch and is planning to start a new Neighborhood Watch on Daisy. Norvell also helps organize National Night Out activities in the neighborhood.
"Maria has such a long and varied history of involvement as a local activist and
volunteer." said Lowenthal in a release. "It was an honor to recognize her in today's ceremony as our Woman of the Year."
Norvell said the award had special meaning because it would have meant so much to her late husband, Bill.
"That lifted my spirits," Norvell said. "I know he was looking down."
Although the recognition is nice, Novell says she doesn't plan to stop, even in the wake of recent foot surgery.
"As long as I'm able, I will continue to help," she said.
But she'd just as soon not have to make the trip north again.
"I'm still kind of tired. I'm getting too old for this," Norvell said.
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