Five members of the Greater Los Angeles community who have long and distinguished records of service promoting the education of youth were honored Feb. 10 as recipients of the 2007 Cardinal's Award.

Cardinal Roger Mahony presented honorees Fe Israel Benito, Richard C. Dunn, Anita Finie, Philip M. Hawley and Steven B. Sample with the awards at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City.

Proceeds from the dinner will benefit San Antonio de Padua Preschool Academy in the Boyle Heights community of East Los Angeles. The inter-parochial preschool will serve four surrounding Catholic churches and will include a parent education component as well.

"All the awardees have one thing in common. The thrust of their lives has been education," said Cardinal Mahony. "I applaud you for your faithfulness and service."

Each honoree thanked and appreciated spouses, family, friends, colleagues, clergy and religious who had supported their work over the years. More than 900 people were present at the dinner.

In her native Philippines, Israel Fe Benito worked for the Archdiocese of Manila and organized a scholarship program to help low-income youth afford college. In Los Angeles she served with Catholic Charities as a case manager, working with needy individuals and families and later directed and managed four community centers in East and South Los Angeles, Hollywood and central city. She is a parishioner at St. Gerard Majella in Mar Vista.

"I consider this a gift of God," Benito said on receiving her award. "I believe that I was created by God to serve humanity." She also pledged her service for the new preschool.

Richard Dunn has spent half a century uniquely assisting the growth of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles through his family's real estate brokerage firm. Hundreds of completed transactions have enabled the archdiocese to locate and purchase properties that have become churches, schools and other facilities. He is a parishioner at St. Andrew Church in Pasadena.

Dunn dedicated his award to his late father, Charles Dunn, who taught his sons the real estate business and introduced them to working on behalf of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. "Another benefit to us were the many fine priests and nuns we got to know through these transactions," said Dunn.

A native of Poland and a survivor of German and Soviet occupation, Anita Finie emigrated to the U.S. in 1947 and married in Los Angeles. Moving to Catalina, she taught religious education and was active in St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in Avalon. Today, she lives in Pacific Palisades and is an active member of four parishes: Corpus Christi, St. Monica, Our Lady of the Bright Mount Polish Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. She also serves in a project that places young teachers in poorer Catholic schools.

Finie thanked her family "who so graciously tolerated all my charitable activities."

Philip Hawley, a long-time contributor and supporter of Loyola High School and the University of Notre Dame, has served on numerous boards and community organizations, while working in retail and raising eight children with his wife Mary. Hawley was confirmed as a Catholic at the baptism of their first grandchild.

"From many years of work, I am convinced that our future in Southern California lies in improving the educational opportunities for all," said Hawley, who praised the efforts to open an inter-parochial preschool in Boyle Heights. "The benefits that will flow for the many young people in the neighborhood surrounding that parish will be a wonderful thing," he added.

Steven Sample, president of University of Southern California since 1991, has overseen an increased presence of religious institutions on campus, including the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, a forthcoming Hillel Center and a Catholic Center, and the Center for Religion and Civic Culture.

"It makes me very proud to be only the third non-Catholic to receive this award," said Sample. The recently established Catholic institute at USC, he said, "will do research on the Catholic tradition and engage scholars from a variety of religious backgrounds in faith-based dialogue."

Since 1990, more than $5.4 million raised from the Cardinal's Awards Dinner has supported nearly 70 programs, agencies and relief efforts in all pastoral regions of the archdiocese. This year's recipients bring to 89 the number of men and women honored with the award.