HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-25-2012 Evan J. Sears Memorial Scholarship Award Ceremony SpU TI1 h
r-
M /
1865
CITY OF SOUTH BEND
PETE BUTTIGIEG, MAYOR
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2012
Contact: Debra Johnson, Director of Communications
Phone: 574-235-5853
EVAN J. SEARS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD CEREMONY
SOUTH BEND—Mayor Pete Buttigieg will honor the 2012 award recipient of the Evan
J. Sears Scholarship today. This is the 121h annual presentation of the award. This year's
award will be presented to Mara Paluszewski, daughter of City of South Bend employee,
Pam Paluszewski. The reception will take place Monday, June 25 at 2:00 p.m. The
location of the reception is the County-City building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd on the 14th
floor.
"It is a privilege to continue the memory of Evan through this scholarship reception with
Evan's family," said Mayor Buttigieg. "I appreciate the opportunity to award Mara this
scholarship as someone who embodies the character and spirit the award,"
The award was created in honor of Evan J. Sears, an intern with the Bureau of Traffic and
Lighting, who was killed in a traffic accident while working on a street project during the
summer of 1999. An essay contest about workplace safety takes place every summer and
is open to any student who interns with the City for at least a one summer.
"Our wonderful son and brother, Evan, was taken from us thirteen years ago while
working in traffic. We miss him terribly and hold him in our hearts always," said Mrs,
Sears. "After meeting with Mayor Buttigieg and other city officials, I am reassured that
the City of South Bend will continue the safety training and practices that were put into
place since that terrible day. The unprecedented emphasis placed on safety education,
behavior and equipment will continue on and for that, we are extremely grateful."
The 2012 winning essay, written by Mara Paluszewski, discussed the safety system the
City of South Bend implemented to protect employees and as a result the reduction in
safety related incidents. Mara will be a junior in the fall at Purdue University. She has
interned in the Engineering Department for two summers and is studying Industrial
Engineering.
1400 COUNTY-CITY BUILDING•227 W.JEFFERSON BOULEVARD•SOUTH BEND,INDIANA 46601
PHONE 574/235-9261• FAx 574/235-9892
Marc!Sears—Remarks 2012
August 2nd of this year marks 13 years since we lost Evan to a tragic accident. My family and I miss him
every day...and every day we think about how different life would be if he were still with us.
While Evan's loss has been terrible for us, we feel so much comfort from friends like all of you who have
loved us through this. Thank you to each one of you who have come today to stand by us. We are also
greatly comforted by the consistent and dedicated effort of the city of South Bend to not only keep
current safety practices in place, but continually seek additional ways to make employees safer in their
work day responsibilities.
I will admit that I had some concern with the change in administration that perhaps the emphasis that
was placed on safety might suffer. After meeting with Mayor Buttigieg, talking with his staff and reading
the essays from this year's group of interns, I know that my concerns were needless. I have been greatly
heartened by the commitment I have seen from Mayor Buttigieg for safety of city employees. I was
delighted to learn that safety helmets have been put into use for specified positions and further
encouraged to read in this year's essays the continued emphasis placed on safety and safety training for
interns.
My sincere thanks to Mayor Buttigieg and his staff for continuing the diligent carry-through of safety
practices from the previous administration. A special thank you to Mayor Steve Leucke and Director of
Public Works, Gary Gllot for their perseverance in executing safety improvements.
It is now my pleasure to tell you about this year's winner of the Evan J. Sears Scholarship award. She
grew up here in South Bend and is an engineering student at Purdue University. While all of the essays
were very good, Mara's had an expressiveness that could not be ignored. She spoke of the
comprehensive training provided by the city and of her appreciation for the safety education provided
to interns. She sincerely acknowledged the tragic loss of Evan's life and how much more meaningful this
made the issue of safety. It is this type of acknowledgement for which I, as Evan's mother, am truly
thankful...for it makes our family feel his loss was not completely in vain.
I am very happy to announce the 2012 winner of the Evan J. Sears Scholarship Award is Mara
Paluszewski.
Mara Paluszewski
June 15, 2012
Workplace Safety
With this being my second summer interning with the Engineering Department of
South Bend, I feel that I have a good idea of their procedures and how they handle
situations. From day one, all South Bend employees place an emphasis on safety. Hard
hats and reflective safety vests are provided from the beginning and you are instructed to
never handle any job alone. A buddy system has been put in place to make sure you
always have someone with you on job sites and that you always have someone watching
your back. This department didn't always have safety.a high priority though.
After Evan Sears was fatally injured in 1999, the Public Works department
became shockingly aware of how many injuries they accounted for throughout the South
Bend workforce. They soon put safety guidelines in place to eliminate the amount of
injuries down to zero. Since pressure has been placed on the importance of safety,
injuries had reduced dramatically and from listening to Evan Sears' mom, you can see the
gratitude on her face. There is no better way to help honor Evan's memory than by
sponsoring a scholarship in his name. This is also a great way to educate interns on the
dangers there are on the job and really encourage us to be careful and cautious.
Hearing Mayor Pete Buttigieg speak at the lunch in the other day really helped me
see that not only the Public Works Department is working towards eliminating injuries
and accidents, but this is also a priority of the City of South Bend as a whole. What
happened to Evan Sears is unacceptable and tragic. A life so young and full of potential