The Volunteer of the Year Dinner was held on Saturday May 5, 2018 at the Mira Mesa Senior Center.
Tom Derr
Tom Derr – Tom Derr has been an active volunteer with the Mira Mesa Town Council and other community organizations for many years. He served on the MMTC Board of Directors for two years, and has been chair of the Mira Mesa Maintenance Assessment District Committee for the last 12 years. That committee controls a budget of $800,000 annually that is used to improve and maintain landscaping on major streets such as Mira Mesa Blvd. He is also a member of the Mira Mesa Community Planning Group. Tom moved to Mira Mesa in 1974. He was the owner/operator of Tom’s Master Mechanics from 1981 until his retirement in June 2011. Tom joined the Automotive Service Council (ASC) in 1985 and served as treasurer. In 1996, he joined the San Diego Herpetological Society (SDHS), serving as treasurer and vice president for many years. Tom is well known for bringing his snakes to the Mira Mesa Street Fair and other community events. SDHS also brings reptiles to schools, especially those with at-risk kids, to spark their interest in learning. Tom is co-founder of EcoVivarium, a nonprofit living museum for all reptiles, amphibians, and some insects, which recently opened in Escondido. Tom has been a member of San Diego Botanical Garden Foundation for over 11 years and is currently serving as 1st Vice President. He is President of the Exchange Club of San Diego, a chapter of the National Exchange Club, the oldest national service club, whose national project is Child Abuse Prevention. Tom is chair of the Law Enforcement Volunteer of the Year event. Tom has been active for several years with Relay for Life, an annual fundraiser to fight cancer. In the summer, you can find Tom re-homing rattlesnakes to keep them from human harm.
Pictures from the Volunteer of the Year Dinner by Roy Ang and Ted Brengel:
