Tireless volunteer rewarded

Britney Čaka wears a lot of different hats in Gonzales and doesn’t always get acknowledgement for it. So, when she heard she had won the 2020 Community Service Award at the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture’s banquet, she was caught a little off guard.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Čaka said. “When you do volunteer work, you don’t expect to be recognized.”

The Community Service Award recognizes an individual in Gonzales who in the previous year went above and beyond in one of these areas: historic preservation, promotion of the arts, education, commerce and industry, youth motivation or volunteer work. Čaka won for her volunteering.

In 2019, she served as Gonzales Noon Lions Club president, joined the Crystal Theatre board of directors and volunteered for the Gonzales Healthcare Systems Foundation. On top of that, Čaka played a vital role on the annual Come and Take It Celebration. She has served as the event’s entertainment chair since 2014 and helped to run the stage throughout the weekend.

Čaka said she was spurred to give back by remembering how much her dad did for the city. She added that her dad served with the Gonzales Volunteer Fire Department and was very active in volunteering with city events. Čaka also mentioned she hopes she has left a similar impact on her four daughters.

“If something were to happen to me, I hope they would remember me in that way,” Čaka said.

As for the kids, Čaka hopes to get them involved in events this year. She suggested she may look into starting a junior area clean-up day.

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Community Service Award Winner recipient Britney Čaka poses with her Community Service Award and Gonzales Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture Executive Director Daisy Scheske Freeman. Garrett McGinley.