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Joe and Bonnie Pistilli have been named the winners of the 2015 Cherry Festival Heritage Award. The Pistilli's were chosen because of their 54 years of community service in Beaumont and Banning. Joe is an active member of the community and has been involved in many organizations over the 54 years he has lived in the Pass area. In May 1970, he was the chairman of the Civic Center Association and submitted a resolution to the Beaumont City Council requesting to use Sixth Street School facilities for Parks and Recreation and to become a member of the city school/park/recreation commission. In February 1973, Joe was the president of the Civic Center Association where he organized several fundraisers and cooked many spaghetti dinners to raise funds to help renovate the Sixth Street School Auditorium. At the time, the auditorium had been boarded up due to its unusable condition. Joe presented a check for $5,255.95 to the Beaumont City Council to assist in the renovation. Joe is a member of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha in Beaumont. He was the chairman for the committee, which organized the Fourth of July Festivities sponsored by the church (then San Gorgonio Catholic Church) in 1966 and 1967. On June 10, 1966, Joe was the chairman of the Fiesta and invited Mayor Houston and City Manager McCorison to represent the city. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and also taught Catechism. In August 1970, he assisted in the application for a conditional use permit for the Catholic Church Parish Hall. He still serves as an usher at the church. He was also active in service clubs including Rotary and Kiwanis. Joe was beloved when he played Santa Claus many times over the years for various organizations. Though the years, Bonnie had her hands full as a stay at home mom raising eight children, but still found time to volunteer for various organizations. She was a member of the Confraternity of Christian Mothers, and served as president. She has been a volunteer at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Auxiliary for 13 years. She currently volunteers at the hospital thrift store and has donated 10,500 hours of her time. She has also been a member of the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Alter and Rosary Society in Beaumont for 10 years and is active in fundraising and has held various positions. Joe and Bonnie have been married 65 years and have eight children, 17 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren. They lived in Beaumont for 27 years and have lived in Sun Lakes in Banning for another 27 years. They love spending time with their family and go out of their way to help family members, neighbors, and even strangers in any way they can. They were nominated by their son, Joseph Pistilli. "I feel my parents deserve this award for their selfless giving to their community, family, friends, neighbors and strangers. They give without expecting anything in return," he said. Bonnie & Joe Pistilli at their wedding (top) and at their 65th wedding anniversay (bottom) 2015 Cherry Festival heritage award Winners Joe & Bonnie Pistilli

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