Walnut Community Heroes to be Honored at LA County Fair

The Los Angeles County Fair has named Jim Polite and Laviana Someya as this year's Community Heroes for Walnut.

Walnut Day at the Fair is Sept. 19. Polite and Someya will be honored on this day, which is for "celebrating the community's volunteers, humanitarians, students, neighbors and organizations who make their city a better place to live," officials wrote in a news release.

The Sept. 19 festivities will include a community reception at the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts at 3:30 p.m., a Community Parade at 5 p.m., and a Salute to Heroes presentation at 5:30 p.m. on the Expo Hall 4 Stage.

The following are bios included in a news release of Walnut's honorees.

Senior hero Jim Poilite has been the Walnut High cross-country and track and field coach for 47 years. He has dedicated countless hours to helping students reach their full potential, not only for the team but for themselves personally. He is respected and loved for his sense of humor. Jim has taught at Walnut High since it opened in 1965.

The Jim Polite Invitational is held annually in his honor. Jim has positively influenced hundreds of athletes at Walnut High and continues to spend his time encouraging his students to be their best.

Laviana is the heart and soul of volunteerism in the Walnut school district. She has dedicated her time and talents to Suzanne Middle School and Walnut High School as volunteer coordinator. Fluent in German, Japanese and Spanish as well as English, she has the ability to communicate to parents across many different ethnicities.

She is currently the volunteer coordinator for Walnut HS Parent Partners. She has volunteered her time to the cross-country and track and field team as well as the marching band. Laviana’s enthusiasm and leadership in school activities have made her a wonderful asset to the Walnut community.

To celebrate the accomplishments of these Community Heroes, residents of Walnut are invited to enjoy the Fair for $5 on Sept. 19 when they enter promo code walnut at lacountyfair.com/onlinetickets, print the ticket and bring it with them to the Fair. To learn more, please visit www.lacountyfair.com.