Y-S families of the year honored

By Daniel Witter/Appeal-Democrat

The Everest family of Yuba City and Sullivan Family of Browns Valley shared two things in common Thursday night: feeling the sensation of shock and winning the “Family of the Year” honor.

“Every year is tough, but this year was particularly tough,” said Bob Harlan, who emceed the ninth annual Family of the Year awards ceremony at River Valley High School in Yuba City. “There are so many families that are outstanding,”

Eleven families - seven from Sutter County and four from Yuba County - were nominated for the honor. Each family was introduced to an audience of several hundred and who heard stories about them and how involved they are in the community.

“It's a big honor for our family,” said Dr. Paramjit Singh Everest, a Yuba City dentist, speaking for his family, the Sutter County winner.

His wife, Surinder, and their daughters, Amarpreet, 15 and Harkiren, 9, were present. The family also includes a son, Harpreet, 20.

Everest thanked his parents for instilling in him the importance of getting involved in the community.

“It's something they passed on and I'm glad of following in their footsteps,” he said.

Everest provides free medical care to those in need at the Sikh Temple in Yuba City.

Surinder Kaur Everest was just as surprised. She believes other families work hard to make a better world, too.

“I think every family's doing their best for their kids,” she said. She's volunteers at the temple and is involved in many other activities.

Amarpreet Kaur Everest looks up to her parents the way her father looks up to his.

“My parents work so hard,” she said.

She also spoke highly of her grandfather, Hari Singh Everest, nearly 90, who brought the family to the U.S. from India. She loves his stories, she said.

“He's a brilliant man.” she said. “He's so sharp.”

Rosalie and Michael Sullivan were modestly jubilant after they accepted the Yuba County honor with their children, Alexis, 12, Jordan, 10, Morgan, 8, and Kynsey, 6.

Rosalie and Michael Sullivan are lifelong residents of the Yuba-Sutter area. The family lives in Browns Valley.

“We want to give God the glory first because we know all good things come from him,” said Rosalie Sullivan, an English teacher.

The couple are involved in the Loma Rica Community Church and a variety of other causes.

Michael Sullivan, who works as a flooring contractor, said volunteering gives him a sense of fulfillment.

“We feel we get something more back,” he said. ”You do it (because) it's part of who you are.”

Both families received hugs, handshakes and congratulations from other families who milled around the room.

Earlier in the ceremony, a combined band of Barry and Tierra Buena schools performed songs for the audience.

Three winners of a high school essay contest on the topic of families also read their essays. Joy Smith of Sutter High School won first place, Andrea Goodman of Yuba City High School placed second and Kyle Raczynski took third.

Faith And Family

sutter county family of the year

By Magdalena Reveles For the Appeal-Democrat

December 3, 2005 - Faith, family and community are the central pillars around which the lives of the Dr. Paramjit S. Everest family revolve.

The focus earned them the title of Sutter County Family of the Year in ceremonies at River Valley High School in Yuba City.

“I thought we would go to the event and then leave quietly,” a modest Everest said afterward. “This was really a humbling experience and a positive experience, when there are so many negative experiences.”

The family of the 51-year-old Everest, a dentist in the area, are members of the Yuba-Sutter Sikh community. He and his wife, Surinder K. Everest, have three children - daughters Amarpreet, 15, and Harkiren, 9, and son, Harpreet, 20. His parents, Hari S. Everest, 89, and Amar K. Everest, 81, live with the family in the Tierra Buena area at the west edge of Yuba City.

The sucess of the family goes back to his own upbringing, Everest said.

“When I was a little kid, I had to do three things,” Everest said. “The first was to take a bath. Next, there was a temple near our house and we had to go and pay homage to the scripture. Then, when we came home, we were served breakfast. That's why we want our kids to follow religion. Religion offers a lot to our kids. It keeps them going in the righteous path.

“I think the award is an honor, but not just for me or my part in it, but for my whole family starting with my dad and mom's involvement in the community, which inspires me to help the community.”

Everest is a volunteer for the annual Hershey track meet, coaches basketball, helps out at the nearby Sikh Temple, is dental adviser to the area Headstart program and is a past president and founding member of the Punjabi American Heritage Society.

But at the end of the day, coming home to his family is Everest's number one priority.

“I try to take extra time with my parents and kids. Family, I value that moreŠ the time I spend with them,” he said.

Surinder Everest is a part-time school teacher and has made it a point, along with her husband, to attend school, temple and community events family members are involved in.

A worker in the literacy program at the Sutter County Library, she said she encourages her children to do their best in everything they do for themselves, the family and the community.

“I think families should stay together and support each other,” she said.

Son Harpreet is a junior at the University of California, Davis, where he is studying genetics and dentistry.

“I just really admire my parents and my grandparents for all they have done. All they do is with love and genuine care,” he said.

The Yuba City High School graduate said he hopes to follow in his father's footsteps.

“The values that they have taught us I have upheld, even with the society we live in. And especially in college where it so easy to lose them. My entire family, including my dad and grandfather, has never used alcohol or smoked. I'm proud to say I've done the same,” he said.

“My parents just did one heck of a job, especially balancing that with my grandmother being sick,” Harpreet continued. “I've seen my dad in the middle of the night taking care of her and feeding her. We could have put her in a home but our family stepped up and we all came together and said that is not what our family is about.”

Amarpreet Everest is active in sports and service clubs at Yuba City High School where she is a sophomore. She says she is inspired by other family members.

“When I think of a family, I think of people who will love you no matter what. You do something bad; you do something awesome, they will love you no matter what. I think our family cares so much. My mom always wants me to be the best I can be. She inspires me to work harder,” she said.

Winner of a first place award for piano in the Tri-Counties Music competition, the active teen said she wants to become a doctor and attend Stanford. She admits being influenced in her choice of schools by her father and grandfather, who also attended Stanford, and by her grandmother, who today suffers from Alzheimer's and who is cared for by all family members.

“All those years she was caring for us. Now it's our turn for us to care for her,” she said.

“It was a big honor for us to be out there with all those other families,” she said of the Family of the Year awards. “I was listening to their stories, and I was just glad that our family was among them.”

One of several people who nominated the Everest family for the annual award was Siri Pritam Khalsa, who is impressed how the family has rallied around grandmother Amar Everest.

“You see, many of us would do the same for our parents - but to do it for so long - getting up every night, never complaining, looking only to God and to duty for inspiration - that to me is true Family of the Year material,” she wrote.