Volunteers' Trophy goes to big teddy bear as Kiwanis float wins major parade prize for third time in five years

For the second straight year and the third time in five years, Pasadena's Tournament of Roses Parade presented one of its 23 trophies to Kiwanis.

The Kiwanis-created bell-ringing teddy bear-dressed in a paisley tuxedo, purple bow tie, and straw hat-won the "Volunteers' Trophy" for the best floral design following the parade theme-"Celebration 2000: Visions of the Future"-among floats under 35 feet in length.

Sponsored by the California-Nevada-Hawaii District and co-funded by Kiwanis International, the organization's entry for the 2000 parade carried Kiwanis International President Nettles Brown and the California-Nevada-Hawaii District-sponsored programs governors: Circle K's Joe Bussiere, Key Club's David Chang, and KIWIN's Elizabeth Pluta. KIWIN's is a Cal-Nev-Ha high school program.

Other riders included: Joshua Wilson of Columbus, Ohio, representing the Make-a-Wish Foundation; Special Olympians Kory Frazier and Lori Ann West; Samantha Agostinio, the winner of a Kiwnis Club of Phil-Am, Los Angeles pageant; Rudi Ascension, the winner of a Division 27 essay contest; Brittany Loya of Alta Loma; and Heidi and Jenna Carroll of Covina, CA.

Nearly 4,700 volunteers from the Kiwanis family helped assemble the Kiwanis bear, as well as seven other floats that appeared in the parade on Jan. 1, the first day of the new millennium.

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association estimates that more than 750,000 people saw the parade along the route. Television coverage extended the viewership to 365 million persons in more than a hundred countries.