The Grossmont-Mt. Helix Improvement Association held its annual dinner at the Cuyamaca College Student Center on June 22. GMIA, with about 1,000 members, is a community organization that has been working to improve the Mt. Helix area since 1938. The organization’s annual events include an Art & Garden Tour, a Succulent Swap, and a Walk to the Top of Mt. Helix. GMIA also advocates and informs the community on issues of concern and works with local and state elected officials.
County Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe was the keynote speaker.
The Al Platt Award, which is given to individuals who have served GMIA and the community, was awarded to Larry and Susan Nichols, who have been residents of Mt. Helix for 36 years. Susan Nichols served on the GMIA board from 2006 to 2021 and was president for nine years. She is now president of the Friends of the Casa de Oro Library. Larry Nichols served on the GMIA board from 2010 to 2023 and was treasurer for eight years. He also served on the La Mesa-Spring Valley Bond Oversight Committee and the Valle de Oro Planning Group.
“GMIA would not be the organization it is today without Larry and Susan Nichols,” said GMIA President Anne Krueger in a press release. “Susan created the Walk to the Top and Succulent Swap, and they have both been at the forefront whenever we have had an issue that confronted our community.”
For more information about GMIA, go to gmia.net.
