They say when you want to get something done go to a busy person. Nobody I know, aside from the kids we honor at the Brookline Youth Awards, is busier than Chobee Hoy. She is relentless in her support of the causes she believes in. You and I could argue that the Coolidge Corner Theater would not exist right now if it were not for Chobee Hoy. So it is fitting for Chobee to receive the Ethel Weiss Service Award at the Coolidge, a place she helped establish as the cultural center of our community.
The Ethel Weiss Service Award was established last year to honor the Brookline businessperson who best exemplifies service, commitment and passion toward Brookline young people. Ethel has served our youth for 76 years, or 76% of her 100-year life.
Service, commitment and passion: next year we will debate on which local business leader best exemplifies these noble traits. Not this year. There is no debate on who deserves to be the first honoree to succeed Ethel. Forget for a minute, as if that’s possible, all the local non-profits and causes Chobee has supported with every fiber of her being for decades, and think about this. I don’t think I’ve interviewed one young person in the five years since the Youth Awards were established, who doesn’t know Chobee. I don’t mean heard of Chobee, I mean knows Chobee. Chobee gives our young people advice, mentoring, she financially supports their causes at every turn, she listens to them, and she sets an example for them. In a world that sometimes seems bereft of adult role models for teens, Chobee is someone we want our young people to know. For many of our youth Chobee is their hero. For more years than I care to admit, Chobee has been my hero too.
Chobee Hoy is nothing short of a Brookline Treasure.
Please come to the Coolidge this Wednesday night, from 7-9pm to celebrate our young people and their local hero, Chobee Hoy. The evening will feature a video interview with Chobee along with the interviews of our Youth Award recipients and our Roger Grande Social Justice Award recipient, Pat Norling, as well as the naming of the 2015 Brookline Youth of the Year.
Harvey Bravman, Publisher
