New 'Uber Albany Local' Champ: Caryl O'Keefe

Albany has a new "Uber Albany Local" champion.

Caryl O'Keefe, whose record of community service had already established her as an uber-active Albany resident, was honored Monday night at the City Council meeting when she received the 2013 Über Albany Local Cup.

The prize is given to the winner of the annual Albany Local Week contest for accumulating the most points on a city scorecard for attending local events, patronizing Albany businesses and participating in Albany activities during the week. It was held Sept. 22-28 this year.

This was the third year for Albany Local Week, and O'Keefe succeeds the Über Albany Local Cup winner for the first two years, Peggy McQuaid, who was termed out of the competition this year since she has won twice.

The winner's name is engraved on the trophy, which is kept on display at the Albany Community Center.

This year's competition drew 13 entries, and O'Keefe won with 9,780 points, said Liam Kelly of the city's Recreation & Community Services Department.

Kelly noted that both O'Keefe and runner-up Ken McCroskey (8,435 points) are active in Albany Rotary, where O'Keefe is secretary and immediate past president.

O'Keefe was recently named 2013 "Citizen of the Year" by the Albany Chamber of Commerce, which will celebrate the occasion at an awards dinner next Wednesday, Oct. 16. (Also being honored is the 2013 "Youth of the Year," Thalia Tom.)

In an announcement posted on Patch, the Chamber offered the following information about O'Keefe:

"If you have been involved in any number of community activities, such as the YMCA, Albany Community Foundation, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary or Friends of the Library, you will be well acquainted with our Citizen of the Year Caryl O’Keefe.  She has served on the Board of all of the above.  She has also served as past president of Rotary and Friends of the Library.  Caryl also takes on such exciting and glamorous duties as serving on the City’s Charter Review Committee, Sustainability Committee, and the Measure E Bond Oversight Committee for AUSD.  Her years as a Bureau of Labor Statistics Economist prepared her well for those somewhat esoteric roles.  Caryl and spouse Alan Riffer are long-time Albany residents, their children went through Albany schools, and they have just become the proud grandparents of ‘perfect’ Ryka." 

Posted Oct. 9, 2013, 11:34 p.m.; updated Oct. 10, 6:18 p.m.

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