Charlie Halford is the 2016 Great Valley Bookfest Literacy Hero Award recipient.
Halford has lived in the greater Manteca/Lathrop area all his life and has been involved with numerous activities that have improved the community.
Halford is a 1972 graduate of East Union High School; he received a BA degree in Criminal Justice from Cal State Sacramento in 1976. He then graduated from the Police Academy and became a USMC Certified Marksman. He had a long and distinguished career in the police force, earning two letters of commendation, the Manteca Police Officer of the Year award, and the Meritorious Service Award for rescuing two children in a fire. In 1991, he graduated from the FBI Academy, and from 1997-2007, he served as Chief of Police.
Time is precious to Halford, but he is more than generous in his volunteer capacity. He has served as an officer or on the Board of Directors for many nonprofit agencies, including: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Manteca/Lathrop, United Way of San Joaquin County, Doctors Hospital of Manteca; Give Every Child A Chance, and Great Valley Bookfest. He has served on innumerable committees to address the needs of local youth and families, and he is an active member and past president of the Manteca Rotary.
Halford is also a driving force behind the Great Valley Bookfest. From its inception, he has been an invaluable member of the Great Valley Bookfest leadership team. Without his expertise and boundless energy, the event could never have achieved such rapid growth and popular success. As the Chairman of the Event Planning and Logistics committee, he has been a central figure: advising the committee on legal regulations, traffic flow, and safety issues; negotiating many of the permits required for the event; organizing and supervising the early morning set-up for dozens of tents and trucks. He has helped in smaller ways, too – posting advertising signs, contacting community partners for donations, and running errands when needed.
Halford for the last nine months, he has done everything possible to ensure that the 2016 Bookfest comes together without a hitch.