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Ceremonial Activities Coordinator Denise Luckey Ceremonial Activities Coordinator City of San Antonio Office of the City Clerk P. O. Box 839966 San Antonio, TX 78283-3966 Telephone: (210) 207-8499 Fax: (210) 207-6938 |
The Office of the City Clerk is responsible for the preparation and scheduling of all ceremonial items for presentation by the Mayor and members of the City Council.
Since specific criteria for the issuance of these certificates has been established and followed over the years, the Office of the City Clerk is well aware of whether a request can be filled and what type of certificate, if any, can be issued. Certificates are requested either by individual citizens or at the request of the Mayor or City Council.
Ceremonial items are presented by the Mayor in the City Council Chambers at 5:00 pm. All ceremonial requests are processed through the Office of the City Clerk and are presented to the Mayor for approval.
Arrangements for preparation of certificates should be made with the Office of the City Clerk at least one month before the function or celebration.
The following are brief explanations of each certificate:
CERTIFICATE OF HEROISM
This certificate is reserved for individuals who perform a heroic action risking their life to save a fellow human being. This request is reviewed by the Fire and/or Police Chiefs for their recommendation.
This is presented to organizations or their representatives in observance of a certain day, week, or month, such as "Cancer Control Week," "Crime Prevention Week," etc. They are presented to non-profit organizations or in connection with an anniversary of the founding of a business, such as Pioneer Flour Mills' 100th Anniversary, etc.
This certificate names an individual an honorary Mayor of La Villita (the original San Antonio) and is presented to officials and dignitaries visiting our City. We attempt to limit its award to the leader of the delegation, head of the corporation, president of the organization, etc. A long-standing policy is in place that does not allow anyone residing or having resided in San Antonio at any time to receive the award, i.e. resident, former resident or someone who served a tour of duty at one of the bases. We have the certificate in English and in Spanish.
HONORARY CITIZEN
This certificate proclaims an individual an honorary citizen of San Antonio and is given to an individual visiting the City or a person accompanying a VIP. We have a little more flexibility in who receives this certificate.
EMISSARY OF THE MUSES
This certificate is presented to individuals or groups in the fields of entertainment and the arts who are visiting San Antonio. San Antonio residents are not eligible to receive this award. We have the certificate in English and in Spanish.
This is given to individuals or organizations for their outstanding service to the City of San Antonio or in recognition of a state or national honor.
CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP/BENEFACTOR OF THE COMMUNITY AWARDS
The Corporate Award is given to organizations/businesses that have done much for the City of San Antonio and its citizens. It recognizes action that has taken place over a long period of time and is not intended for organizations or businesses that one time or occasionally contribute to the well-being of San Antonio and its citizens.
The Benefactor Award is for an individual who has done much for the City of San Antonio and its citizens. It, too, recognizes deeds done over a substantially long period of time.
Both of these awards are very rarely given because they require that the a person or organization contribute or act for the public good, at a high level, over many years.
DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN AWARD
This is a fairly new award. It is intended to recognize one of our own citizens who has distinguished him/herself either locally, state-wide, nationally or internationally. This can be for a one-time action or for a series of actions that bring positive recognition to the individual and to the City of San Antonio.
There are Resolutions of Appreciation and Resolutions of Respect. Both are approved by City Council during a City Council meeting. A Resolution of Appreciation is reserved for very special recognition of outstanding contributions by an organization or an individual. A Resolution of Respect is presented to the family of a deceased prominent citizen, council member or department head.
PEOPLE LIKE YOU
Small certificate presented to a young citizen of San Antonio for a specific project(s) he/she may have done for the good of the City. We keep a very limited supply of these certificates. They are not intended for distribution to large groups. As with other certificates, mass distribution leads to the certificate losing its significance.
LETTERS OF COMMENDATIONS, RECOGNITION, GREETINGS, CONGRATULATIONS AND AMBASSADORS OF GOOD WILL
These letters are prepared on either the Mayor's stationery, blue certificate or on parchment paper certificate and are presented at the request of citizens, Council members or organizations.
All certificates are signed by the Mayor. Those prepared on the blue forms have occasionally contained dual signatures, the Mayor's and Councilmember's who requested the ceremonial item.
