Four community residents were honored at Discover Burien’s Annual Dinner, Silent Auction and the City of Burien Anniversary and 2006 Citizen Awards Recognition on March 3.

This year the Burien City Council presented awards to Rochelle Flynn, Carol Bobanick, Ede Seaman and Jim Hughes in recognition of their contributions to the community.

Rochelle Flynn, a member of the Burien Arts Commission, received the Community Leader Award.

“It’s exciting that two of the four awards tonight are going to members of the arts commission,” said Flynn.

“It’s been an amazing experience for me to be apart of the community for so many years.”

Flynn has lived in Burien for 13 years, and said that after moving from the city she enjoys how Burien has a small town feel.

The Educational Leader Award was presented to Carol Bobanick, also a member of the Burien Arts Commission.

Bobanick started the ArtStart program in elementary schools, in which volunteer artists go to classrooms and teach children the importance of visual arts.

Parents are also involved in the program as they are trained to teach visual arts as well.

“Studies show that children exposed to the visual arts improve student learning,” said Bobanick. “It gets parents involved with schools and students do better when parents are apart of the classroom.

“It’s really a program of coming together to meet a need in our community. We have been successful and will continue to get the community to meet that need.

Ede Seaman was given the Environmental Leader Award.

Every morning on her daily walks she picks up litter along Sylvester Road in Burien.

“She is a woman after my own heart,” said Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak.

The Business Leader Award was presented to Jim Hughes, owner of Sal’s Deli.

Jim can be found smiling at the hotdog stand every Thursday at the Farmers Market, said Burien Deputy Mayor Jack Block Jr.

“I’m grateful to the City Council for giving me this award,” said Hughes. “I’m just one of many businessmen who do what they can to make the community better.”

The arts were also a focal point of the dinner as Steve Edmiston from the Hi-Liners emceed the event and stressed the importance of arts in the community.

“My challenge to you is to continue to keep this performing arts the center of this city,”

said Edmiston.

Block noted that the Gottschalks building, where the dinner was held, reflected the “special spirit” of Burien during community Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts in September.

“We can all be proud that it happened right here,” Block said.

The dinner was prepared by local businesses -- Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub, The Daily Perk, Sal’s Deli, Meal Makers, Angelo’s and The Mark.

“Almost everything was donated,” said Debra George, executive director of Discover Burien.

Some 250 people came out for the event, which was a larger number than the year before.

The benefit auction raised $7,000 after expenses.

“Everyone I talked to said they really enjoyed it and had a marvelous time,” said George.