The City of San Marcos had the privilege of presenting the San Marcos Inspiration, Leadership and Excellence (SMILE) award to Heidi and Greg Rassatt at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 12.
Mayor Rebecca Jones proudly presented the award to the Rassatt’s for their selfless efforts to serve the San Marcos community by hosting the Veterans Day Ceremony every year at Helen Bougher Memorial Park.
“It is with great pleasure that I present this award to Heidi and Greg. Their leadership in the Veterans Day Ceremony demonstrates the underlining meaning of appreciating our community, especially our veterans,” said Mayor Jones. Greg and Heidi Rassatt recognized as the recipient of the SMILE Award
Heidi and Greg served in the military for 25 years. Once they retired, they knew they wanted to spend their time volunteering within their immediate community. After moving to San Marcos in 2006, they quickly learned that there were over 600 military buried in the San Marcos Cemetery. Their son, who was 14 years old at the time, volunteered to build the kiosk for the new San Marcos veterans park in 2007. This act inspired Heidi and Greg to join the Helen Bougher Memorial Park committee to begin their volunteer journey and their remarkable role in the development of the “Wall of Remembrance” at the park.
One of the pair’s first projects on the committee was to organize and host a Veterans Day Ceremony to commemorate all the brave individuals who give their lives for the country’s freedom, and educate the youth on the stories of veterans. In 2011, Heidi and Greg hosted the first ceremony at Helen Bougher Memorial Park. The event was a major success and was immediately met with donations and support from local organizations and community members. The ceremony quickly began to grow, hosting over 300 guests to honor San Marcos’ veterans. As event attendance increased, Heidi and Greg realized they would need additional support from the city. Since then, they’ve worked with the City in the organization of the ceremony each year to honor our veterans as a unit.
“I cannot put into words how grateful I am that the City is able to continue supporting and working alongside Heidi and Greg to host the Veterans Day Ceremony. An event like this encourages our community members to share their appreciation for our courageous veterans and teaches our youth about the significance of Veterans Day,” said Mayor Jones. “It is with great honor, that I have the opportunity to be a representative for a community with individuals like Heidi and Greg in it.”
“We try our best to make it an educational experience for everyone,” said Greg Rassatt. “It’s so important to involve our youth to encourage them to learn about our veterans so they grow up remembering those who served.”
“We emphasize to the community that veterans deserve attention and honor for their bravery. We can never forget, we remember,” expressed Heidi Rassatt.
Click here to learn more about the Helen Bougher Memorial Park.
About the San Marcos City Council’s Civic SMILE Award
There are often community members who rise to the top – clearly reflecting this San Marcos ‘Spirit of Service.’ That’s why San Marcos City Council members initiated the Civic SMILE Award recognition program in March 2021.
Five times each year, a community member is chosen by a specific City Council member to receive recognition and will be presented with a San Marcos Inspiration, Leadership and Excellence (SMILE) Award during a City Council meeting.
For more information about the recognition program: San Marcos Civic SMILE Award.
