2012 Community Service Award Recipient Announced

January 18, 2012

Former Oceanside City Councilmember Colleen O'Harra was named as the 2012 recipient of the City of Oceanside – Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award at the annual commemoration celebration hosted by the North San Diego County Branch of the NAACP.  Ms. O’Harra served on the City Council from 1992 until 2000 with two of those years as Deputy Mayor.  Prior to that service she was on the Oceanside Planning Commission for three years.  She has been president of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce and was one of the architects of Harbor Days, a community event held every September that attracts thousands of visitors to Oceanside.

In 1974 she was one of the founders of the Women’s Resource Center in Oceanside to serve the needs of battered and abused women and their children.  During her service the WRC grew from a store-front agency to being a leader in the field of domestic violence.  During her 36 years with the agency she has served in numerous capacities, including founding Casa de Amparo to serve abused and neglected children in the North County region.

Ms. O’Harra has been active with the Oceanside Museum of Art Board of Trustees and was co-founder of the Oceanside Charitable Foundation.  She was chairperson for the Oceanside Unified School District bond drive in 2008; this drive led to a 70 percent voter approval of a much-needed $195 million school bond for campus improvement and technology upgrades of all schools in the district.

The Community Service award is an annual award given to a resident of the City of Oceanside or MCB Camp Pendleton who exemplifies the ideals and teachings of Dr. King and who has served the community in volunteer activities over a long period of time.

( News Release )