Awards
SAN ANTONIO - The Ford Motor Company honored Covel Gardens Landfill District Manager Ric Green and Community Relations Director Jesse Oviedo at the 12th annual Ford Salute to Education Awards Banquet for their dedication to education in San Antonio. Each year, the San Antonio Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers honor outstanding San Antonians for their commitment to the community through education.
Green and Oviedo were nominated by the San Antonio City Council for their work in establishing the Waste Management Scholarship Program in San Antonio. The WM program has awarded nearly $400,000 to students from 11 South Side high schools since 1999, with some of the money generated by Covel Garden's annual golf tournament. The program is also funded through donations of a portion of the landfill's tipping fees. "This year, 33 students from the high schools located in the Covel Gardens area will receive a total of $88,000," said Oviedo. "That makes it the program's most successful year to date. It just continues to grow."
Southside Reporter said of Green: When he arrived in San Antonio to take over as district manager of Covel Gardens Landfill in 1998, he immediately reached out to longtime community leaders to give back to the city. And of Oviedo: Jesse Oviedo has lived a life of community service. Oviedo worked closely with Ric Green to develop and implement the Waste Management Scholarship Program.
When accepting the award, Green said he was very proud that the golf tournament that funds the scholarships is a total "in-house" affair with Covel Garden Landfill employees giving their time to make it successful. "We appreciate that this community allows us to do our business here, and we want to always give back to that community. We can't think of a better way than by supporting the education of its young people," added Green.
