Five members of the Los Angeles Catholic community who have served both church and community for many years will be honored at the 2007 Cardinal's Award Dinner, to be held Feb. 10 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.

This year's honorees are Fe Israel Benito, Richard C. Dunn, Anita Finie, Philip M. Hawley and Dr. Steven B. Sample. The 2006 honorees bring to 89 the number of men and women honored with the award since 1990.

This year's proceeds will benefit construction of a new inter-parochial Catholic pre-school at San Antonio de Padua Church in East Los Angeles. Four parishes in the area --- San Antonio, Assumption, Our Lady of Talpa and St. Mary are to be served by the pre-school.

Since 1990, $5.4 million raised from the Cardinal's Award Dinner have supported nearly 70 programs, agencies and relief efforts in all pastoral regions of the archdiocese. For information on the 2007 Cardinal's Award Dinner, call (213) 637-7636.

FE ISRAEL BENITO
Born in San Fabian, the Philippines, Fe Benito --- the seventh of ten children in a closely-knit family --- wanted to be a nun, but was eventually drawn to social work, earning bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Santo Tomas. She worked 10 years for the Manila Archdiocese in a poverty-stricken, predominantly Muslim area of Manila, bringing food and toys to children, and organized a scholarship program to help low-income youth afford college.

Soon after coming with her husband Max to California in 1964, Fe began working with Catholic Charities of Los Angeles as a case (intake) manager, working with needy individuals and families. Soon she was promoted to supervisor, and eventually was a director/manager of four community centers in East and South Los Angeles, Hollywood and the central city. She directed the agency's St. Mary's Center until her retirement.

She always has devoted herself to parish and community work as well. At St. Gerard Majella in Mar Vista, she was a eucharistic minister and the first president of the parish Filipino Rosary Group. She is proud of her association with the Catholic Daughters of the Americas (Courts Isabella and St. Michael), and directed the philanthropic committee of the Los Angeles Filipino American Women's Club.

On her purpose in life: "I think that God created me to serve humanity."

On her service as a volunteer for the Manila Archdiocese: "I didn't mind. I loved it. Because I have always done my best to live the Holy Gospel. I have always believed in what Matthew 25 says: 'What you do for the least of my brethren, you do for me.'"

On her work with Catholic Charities of Los Angeles: "I really enjoyed leading those parenting classes in East L.A. It is so important that parents serve as good role models, because there is a much better chance of reducing crime when there are good examples in the home."

On living at Nazareth House of West Los Angeles: "I see people here who are sad because they have no visitors. But I believe God has chosen this place for me at this time so that I may fulfill a mission here: to offer counseling to those who are lonely, to sit and talk and listen with them, to draw them out of their loneliness."

On her devotion to serving youth: "I think about our youth, how fortunate they are with so much technology available today. But so many of them, it seems to me, lack planning and goals. They need help in that way - setting goals, and the motivation to achieve them. My dream is to help youth discover their goals, which I think they could do with more education in religion and spirituality. I would like to help them any way I could."

RICHARD DUNN
For half a century, Dick Dunn --- through the real estate brokerage firm Charles Dunn Company, founded by his dad --- has contributed in a unique and very concrete way to the growth of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, helping to locate and purchase properties that have become churches, schools and other facilities.

He has also been a contributor to, and active participant in, numerous Catholic organizations, parishes and schools, with dedication and adherence to age-old values like family, faith, hard work and appreciation for gifts and blessings received.

One of three children, Dunn attended St. Ignatius, Immaculate Conception and Our Mother of Good Counsel Schools, and Loyola High School, joining the Navy right after graduation. He then enrolled at Loyola University, graduating a year before he married and a year after becoming a salesman in his dad's business.

One of his first assignments was to familiarize himself, through the Hall of Records, with property listings and their owners along Wilshire Boulevard from Figueroa to Western. That assignment led to the firm's becoming a major broker for Mid-Wilshire development, acquisition of land for the new St. Basil Church, and (in the 1990s) arranging for the archdiocese to acquire a new headquarters site, the former Thrifty-Payless Building at Wilshire and Mariposa.

He and his wife Patty raised their six children at Incarnation Church in Glendale, and then moved in 1984 to St. Andrew's in Pasadena, serving on its school board and assisting in fundraising. Over the years Dick has been active in the Fritz Burns, Weingart and Hospitaller Foundations, St. John of God Care Center, Little Sisters of the Poor, Loyola Marymount University (former trustee) and Loyola High School (regent).

On giving and serving: "Giving back isn't something we do because it's a way to earn recognition or honor. We do it because it's the right thing to do."

On his father: "He was a super dad. He was easy-going and gentle, but he also wanted to make sure we appreciated what we had, and encouraged us to work from a young age. It's something I passed on later to my own children."

On the values that stuck with him: "Diligence and perseverance. There are no substitutes for those qualities, regardless of what you do."

On the ability to give: "My folks were active in their parishes, but they didn't have the means to contribute like we have. I feel blessed to be able to give as much as I can, and I've encouraged my children to give as well. It's a way of showing how much we appreciate what we have been given in life."

On lessons for youth: "I stress time management, because time is so precious, and so easy to waste. I always have told young people: make your time count for something important."

ANITA FINIE
Growing up in Poland, before and during World War II, Anita Finie saw and experienced destruction of home, possessions and family. Her 12-year-old sister was shot by the Nazis; her 19-year-old brother and father died at Auschwitz.

Somehow Anita and her mother were spared and survived German (and then Soviet) occupation. In 1947 --- having learned English and earned a nursing degree in Poland --- she left her homeland for the United States, her travel paid for by the Catholic Welfare Conference, and got a job at a New York hospital her second day in America. Moving to Los Angeles, she met and married her husband Philip, an L.A. native (now deceased), and raised two sons.

For 23 years they lived on Catalina Island, where Anita became the first nursing administrator at Catalina Hospital. At St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in Avalon, Anita taught religious education classes and was active in many parish groups.

Now living in Pacific Palisades, she proudly boasts membership in four parishes: Corpus Christi, St. Monica, Our Lady of the Bright Mount Polish Church, and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

At Corpus Christi, she coordinates visitation ministry to three area convalescent hospitals and, on Sundays takes Communion to hospital residents. She has long been involved with Child Help USA, serving as L.A. Chapter president; is also active in a Peace Corps project that places young teachers in poorer Catholic schools; and has established scholarships at St. John's Seminary and St. Monica High School.

On education: "That is how young people's character develops. It takes seconds to destroy anything material. But no one can take what is inside of you; no one can take your knowledge, your memories. So yes, education means very much to me; I know what it's like to have everything else taken away."

On being a eucharistic minister to the sick: "I grew up in a very Catholic home. And the Body of Christ, the meaning of Mass, is embedded very deeply in me. Perhaps I treasure it even more having lived through the war, when to practice your faith meant you were under siege."

On appreciation: "I have always felt a desire to do what I can in return for what the American Soldiers did for Europe in World War II (she logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours at the Veteran's Hospital in West L.A.). In my mind, I could always do more. I find so much more satisfaction in giving than receiving, and I expect nothing in return."

On giving: "What else do I need? How much food can I eat? How many clothes can I wear? I have been very, very blessed. I have a lovely home, wonderful sons, beautiful grandchildren. I have my education, and my health. And when you have that, you are a millionaire."

PHILIP M. HAWLEY
It's children of all ages --- or, perhaps more accurately, students of all ages --- whose endeavors to learn and make their way in the world have been of particular interest to this Phil Hawley, known in the retail world as one of its major players of the past four decades, but in Catholic education circles as a major contributor and supporter of, to name two, Loyola High School (past trustees' chair) and the University of Notre Dame (life trustee).

Born and raised in a strong Episcopalian household in Portland, Oregon, Phil enjoyed working with people, whether in faith, school or community-related activities. Having lost a brother to infantile paralysis, he worked for the March of Dimes and was influenced heavily by his parents, his maternal grandfather (a community leader), and a neighbor, one of Portland's leading citizens, who became "like a second father and influenced me in the retail business.

He earned a bachelor's degree from U.C. Berkeley (where he met his future wife, Mary) and soon was active in the retail business and family life in Portland. In 1958 he moved his family to Los Angeles to join the Broadway Department Stores. Eventually he became president and CEO of the parent firm, Cater Hawley Hale, which grew into one of the country's leading retailers.

Balancing career, family life (all eight Hawley children attended Catholic schools) and community interests (Phil serves or has served on numerous boards and community organizations) has always been a challenge but always rewarding, provided his priorities are in order. Married to a lifelong Catholic, Phil was confirmed Catholic in a simple 1979 ceremony that both surprised and delighted his family.

On his parents: "My folks were strong believers in giving back to the community. They never preached or insisted; they just did what they felt was right."

On family: "My family is the greatest joy and the centerpiece of my life. Raising a good family has been more rewarding than anything else."

On volunteering: "I don't think there is anything as powerful as the volunteer contributions people make to society, because everyone is enriched when that happens --- those who give as well as those who receive."

On education: "Watching my own kids go through school really brought my attention to the needs, the challenges and the opportunities that education presents. As my life has gone on, I have devoted more and more time to education at all levels, and it's given me tremendous satisfaction."

On growth: "I believe in renewal, in change, in rotating responsibility, but in always stepping in and doing what you can to make it better."

On lifelong service: "I don't think you should ever stop trying to contribute. I don't think you can ever rest on your laurels and say, 'Well, I've done my share, it's someone else's turn.' The Lord always needs you to help and contribute any way you can."

STEVEN SAMPLE
The increased presence of religious institutions on the grounds of the City of Los Angeles' largest private employer --- the University of Southern California --- is seen in an Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, a forthcoming Hillel Center, and the Center for Religion and Civic Culture. They bespeak an appreciation for the importance of faith in the lives served by this unique university --- an appreciation shared and nurtured by its president, Dr. Steven Sample.

This St. Louis native, husband, father and grandfather is an accomplished musician and inventor (who developed still-utilized patents for digital household appliances), but for four decades has served higher education, as professor and administrator. He came to USC in 1991 after nine years as president of State University of New York/Buffalo, and has led a resurgence reflected by an increase in USC's endowment from $440 million to $3.2 billion, a plethora of new buildings, and, especially, a rejuvenated spirit among staff and faculty.

Ever the educator, Steve continues to teach one course a year. Recently, he and collaborator Warren Bemis --- with whom he wrote the best-selling "Contrarian's Guide to Leadership" --- have led a course on "The Art and Adventure of Leadership" that draws 300-plus applications for 40 slots.

And, in Steve's tenure, USC has adopted a Mission Statement (drafted by a Jesuit priest friend of the president) and a Code of Ethics. "We try to do what is right, even if no one is watching or compelling us to do the right thing," reads a Code of Ethics provision that could have come straight from Matthew 6: "Keep your deeds of mercy secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."

On USC's commitment to serving communities of faith: "I don't know of another secular university in America with the kind of faith community involvement we have here. We are very welcoming to religion."

On teaching: "It is so much fun to watch students grow and learn about each other. I enjoy nourishing and encouraging the growth of relationships --- building bridges, getting such a diverse group of people to share common values, bringing different constituencies together."

On faith: "Over the years my relationship with God has evolved, and there are two things I have learned. First, be more thankful to God than demanding of God. Always find something to thank him for each day. And second, leave your troubles at the altar when you come forward to receive."

On giving one's troubles to God, a lesson learned from his Episcopalian bishop in Buffalo: "It takes tremendous discipline, love, courage and faith to leave your problems for God to solve. So start slowly: Can I give my troubles to God for two minutes? For three? For half an hour? A day? It's hard sometimes to generate enough faith in God to believe he'll solve your troubles, but he can."