Eng Honors Police Chief With 'Make a Difference' Award

Do you say “thank you” to those who make a difference in your life? 

, D-Monterey Park, believes that we do not say thank you enough, so he decided to formally thank and recognize local community leaders who have been the most effective advocates in their respective fields.

The Third Annual 49^th District Assembly “Make a Difference” Awards Ceremony took place Wednesday afternoon at the Rosemead Community Center, where Eng honored 13 local community role models, including San Marino Police Chief John Schaefer.

For Patch video coverage of the event, click here.

Eng wanted to thank people who “call us not to just ask us for a favor but to call us to help other people, not just their own interests. … I’m honoring them because they took the trouble to advocate fearlessly and with passion. They took the trouble to develop a relationship.”

In addition to patrolling San Marino, Schaefer has taken the time to develop a relationship with Eng and the greater community. This is why Eng considers Schaefer a role model of advocacy for San Marino, particularly in the field of law enforcement in which Schaefer has served for 37 years. 

Upon accepting his award, Schaefer said, “If I have had any success it’s not because of what John Schaefer has done. It has been because of what people invested or how people have supported me.”

He shared a touching thank you to Kaetchen, his wife of 33 years, who paid for his USC education, and also thanked City Manager Matt Ballantyne, Capt. Tim Harrigan, Councilman Dennis Kneier and Vice Mayor Dr. Richard Sun who all attended the special event. To see video of Schaefer's speech, click here.

While the 13 honorees span the educational, medical, real estate and other fields, the desire to serve resonates with all honorees who in one way or another thanked their family, colleagues, and community for their support.

In an intimate banquet hall with more than 100 attendees, one honoree brought up his mother and handed her the plaque, while another cried while thanking her father.

Schaefer ended his thank yous with a special shout-out to Eng, saying, “I know we don’t always agree on issues. Regardless, we’ve been able to say, ‘We’re going to work for the common good.’”

To select these honorees, Eng sits down with his staff every year and looks at the relationships he has garnered over the years to point out the individuals who are actively and effectively influencing their communities. Those selected either live, work, or volunteer in the 49^th District, which includes Alhambra, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino and South El Monte.