Linda Denver Honored as Menifee 24/7 Volunteer of Month

Provecho Grill Owner Rosie O'Connor presents a gift card and certificate to Volunteer of the Month Linda Denver.

If you've been involved in volunteer community service projects in Menifee, chances are you've met Linda Denver.

A longtime resident of Menifee and one of its strongest supporters, Denver has some kind of connection to just about any local volunteer organization you can think of. Her volunteer efforts include:

-- President of the Rotary Club of Menifee
-- Founding member and treasurer of Arts Council Menifee
-- Member of the Menifee Valley Historical Association
-- Member of the Menifee-Sun City Women's Club
-- President of the Friends of the Sun City Library

Oh, yes -- and wife of another very involved Menifee resident -- former Menifee Mayor and current City Councilman John Denver.

"Yes, please put in a plug for my very patient husband," Linda Denver said. "He's very community minded and he does it in his way. I do it in my way. We're both very involved in doing what we believe is best for Menifee."

Most would agree there is no more deserving recipient to receive this month's Menifee 24/7 Volunteer of the Month Award, sponsored by Provecho Grill.

After being presented a certificate and $50 gift card to Provecho by restaurant owner Rosie O'Connor, Denver spoke about her motivation to spend time helping others.

"When I was a young person, our family was very involved in church," Denver said. "We learned to have a giving heart. On my car I have a sign that says "Others." That's what it's all about: Helping others."

Denver is a retired middle school teacher and administrator and former high school principal. Her areas of expertise during her teaching days were English and Theater Arts -- something she has carried over into her efforts with Arts Council Menifee.

ACM has divisions in Literary Arts and Theater, among others, and Denver is vitally interested in both. She is a driving force behind the council's efforts to raise funds to build a performing arts center in Menifee.

In her vision, the center would be a cultural and performing arts center for the area that could host lectures as well as theater productions and town hall meetings. Organizers are talking about having a stage with a back side that can be used as an outdoor amphiteater.

Denver also is pleased that ACM art gallery exhibits have increased from a display of eight local artists to more than 30.

"We need some collaboration on the land from the city, a developer, Pechanga or some group that will help support us in this," Denver said.

Denver also is busy making plans for the Sept. 28 Mayor's Ball at Marion Ashley Center. She and her husband recently returned from a trip to Lisbon, Portugal, where they met with 24,000 Rotarians in the Rotary International Convention.