Injured officer honored by council
(Updated: Wednesday, November 22, 2006 4:09 PM PST)
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| Kristina Ripatti, pictured with daughter, Jordan, with plaque; mother-in-law Jean Pierce, left; husband Tim Pierce, behind with microphone; Councilman John Parsons; and Mayor Mike Gin, right, was presented Tuesday with the key to the city. (photo by Chris Miller) |
Local governments spend a great deal of effort attempting to craft policy intent on making their city the best place it can be. However, sometimes circumstances provide the mayor and City Council the chance to simply reflect back to residents just how far their community's generosity and humanity spread all on its own.
This week Mayor Michael Gin and the Redondo Beach City Council presented Los Angeles police officer Kristina Ripatti with the key to the city, and recognized the tremendous efforts of businesses and residents who came together to assist her and her family.
Since being chosen to appear on the ABC television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” word of Ripatti's story brought more than 3,000 volunteers from all over the South Bay to assist in the remodeling of her family's home.
Ripatti, who nearly died in June after being shot in pursuit of an armed robber, is now confined to a wheelchair, and faces the trials and expenses that come with the long and uncertain recovery. One thing the Ripatti family can be sure of is the ongoing community support that has sprung up in response to their ordeal.
Diane Korman, executive producer of the “Extreme Makeover” show went as far as to extend the usually one-hour episode to tell this story.
“You're taking 600 hours of raw emotion and trying to find a 44-minute show; it is nearly impossible. This show became two hours as we continued to go through the week and we saw all of the emotion, we knew it would be too hard to edit down to just one hour,” said Korman. “I have to say that I am amazingly impressed with the community spirit of Redondo Beach.”
As part of the City Council meeting Tuesday, Nov. 21, proclamations were issued in recognition of this community spirit. More than 30 contractors and tradesmen were recognized for their tireless efforts to rebuild the home to facilitate Ripatti's accessibility and rehabilitation needs.
Rebuilding the Ripatti home has proven to be just the beginning of local charity and interest in the family.
On Friday, Nov. 17, Chad Mayer of Sharefest donated $40,000 on behalf of the organization to the Ripatti family at its annual fund-raising auction. Sharefest, a conglomerate of local church volunteer groups, also mobilized its membership to work on the house.
Doug Wicks and Simone Lagomarsino of Kinecta Federal Credit Union also presented the family with a $12,000 donation last week.
Becket & Beckett, the public relations firm assisting with planning the air-date event on Dec. 10 when the episode will be shown for the first time in its entirety, has had nearly 4,000 inquiries about attending. According to Eric Murga, a consultant with the firm, they are having trouble finding a local facility with enough capacity for the event.