The center's annual awards dinner and fundraiser honors those who exemplify a spirit of service to the local community and its members.

The ceremony on Friday evening at the Calabasas Country Club will also honor volunteer Christine Battle and Wells Fargo Senior Vice President Vince Liuzzi.

Nobody involved in the community fabric of Canoga Park and Canoga Park High School can think of this West Valley community without thinking of Coach Rudy Lugo.

A legend among his former students and the athletes he guided, he's known for the knowledge he held that transcended sports and crossed over into the game of life.

Now in his retirement, coach Lugo will be honored with the Guadalupe Community Center's Community Service Award.

Battle's countless hours of volunteering to improve the quality of life for local residents earned her the Volunteer Service Award and Liuzzi and Wells Fargo will also be honored with the Mary Logan Orcutt Award due to the support of the financial institution Liuzzi helps lead.

Battle, a member of St. Bernadine Church, has been volunteering with the Guadalupe Community Center for more than five years.

"It is a pleasure to work with such dedicated volunteers and staff members who can make a difference in the lives of many people," she said.

A senior vice president with Wells Fargo, Liuzzi is active in the community and is a member of the board of directors of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, the Valley Industry and Commerce Association and the Los Angeles Children's Museum.

The sports Lugo coached were a tool he used to instill confidence in athletes and guide them in the trek as boys became men.

A former graduate of Canoga Park High School himself (along with his son, daughter and late wife), his involvement with Our Lady of the Valley Catholic church and community spirit helped earn him the nickname of "Mr. Canoga" among community members.

That community mindedness and resilient dedication and support of Canoga Park's youth is why he's being honored on Friday by the non-profit social service center.

"I think young people need to find other people, even outside of their parents, who have faith and confidence in them," Lugo said in a recent interview. "In other words, you earn a young person's trust and you let them know you care about them and their future. You want to build their self-confidence."

Typically, those involved with the center are honored, but Lugo's work with youths who participated with the center is notable, said Laura Wilson, president of the advisory board for the Guadalupe Community Center.

"A lot of the kids that go through the programs at the center go to Canoga Park High School," Wilson said. "So a lot of them are affected by Rudy and Rudy's fight for his life."

Lugo, now undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer, has received accolades for his work with Canoga Park youth in and out of high school sports.

In September 2007, Lugo was honored with a plaque on the Walk of Hearts in downtown Canoga Park. Similar to a star on Hollywood Blvd., the plaques on Sherman Way honor educators in recognition of their dedication and record of excellence in education.

Lugo was also named as ABC7/NFL High School Football Coach of the Week for Southern California in September 2006 and was honored on ABC7's "Sports Zone."

When it came to coaching football, the kids were more important than winning or losing - but Lugo still pushed his players to win. Football was more of a vehicle to inspire and support young people to fulfill their dreams.

In the sport, Lugo said, young athletes deal with the disappointment and discouragement that comes with losing, and the flare of the ego that comes with the winning.

"So it was more of a guide, as a teacher, as a coach, as a parent you're a guide," Lugo said. "Let them discover their talent and believe in themselves."

Lugo credits his outlook on coaching and his work with Canoga Park's youth to his parents and his wife, who passed away shortly after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

His parents taught him the same things he taught young people while at Canoga Park High School - to inspire and build confidence in them.

"They gave me the example of what an adult should be like with young people," he said.

After completing his studies at California State University, Northridge, working at his alma matter was viewed by him as a prize worth acquiring.

"To go back and coach football at my own high school was a big thrill," Lugo said of his decision to begin his career in Canoga Park.

He coached football at Canoga for 36 years. He credits the people of Canoga Park for his affinity for the West Valley community.

"Canoga's always been like a family atmosphere."

About the GuadalupeCommunity Center: Since 1950, the Guadalupe Community Center, a program of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc., has been providing quality social and community services for Canoga Park and the surrounding communities. A non profit and non sectarian organization, the center provides services to the poor and vulnerable such as emergency food and clothing, ESL classes, free pre-school, in-home support services for the elderly and tutoring, sports leagues and art, dance and music classes for children. More information on the Guadalupe Community Center and its 9 th Annual Mary Logan Orcutt Awards Dinner can be obtained by calling (818) 340-2050.