Five senior citizens in Stanislaus County, including Oakdale’s Frank Clark, were recently announced as the 2010 Senior Award winners from the Stanislaus County Commission on Aging.

Clark was nominated by the Oakdale Senior Citizens Foundation and won the award for Supervisorial District 1.

“We realized he just does an overwhelming amount for seniors,” said Pat Graham, President of the Oakdale Senior Citizens Foundation.

She added that the foundation board members voted unanimously to nominate Clark. She said that several of the members are involved in other foundations and boards and see how much Clark does in the community.

The nomination process asks for “people of all ages to identify and nominate senior citizens they know who have given of themselves in an unselfish manner and who volunteer their time in one of the following areas: Community Service, Humanitarianism, Leadership, Political Advocacy, or being a Good Neighbor.”

Carolyn Hill of the Area Agency on Aging said that the award is to recognize the “unsung heroes.”

“Our senior citizens are far too often overlooked, and we need to make sure that at least some of them do get the recognition they deserve,” Hill said. “It really is amazing the variety of volunteer work that many of our seniors do — and the response most of them give when I call to tell them they have been chosen is, ‘But there is someone else who is more deserving.’ ”

Clark acknowledged that he feels that way, too, and is even a little embarrassed.

“I don’t think I do any more than a lot of other people in Oakdale who don’t get recognized,” he said. “…It never ceases to amaze me how caring and giving this community is.”

He went on to say that, for him, being involved in the community is more fun than work.

“Helping seniors, you get a great deal of satisfaction out of that. It beats doing nothing,” Clark said.

Hill reported that May is national Older Americans Month, which started with President Kennedy. The five Senior Award recipients representing each Supervisorial District will be recognized by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors at the Tuesday, May 18 regular meeting.

“Since we work with senior citizens, we feel it’s important to honor those, especially, who volunteer,” Hill added.

Clark said that he wished more people in the community would get involved.

“It doesn’t take money, it just takes effort,” he said.