During the City of Canyon Lake State of the City Address, Councilwoman Kasey Castillo presented the inaugural Jordan Ehrenkranz Spirit of Canyon Lake Award to Bradley Morton.
The award was established by the city to honor late Councilman Jordan Ehrenkranz, who lived a life of service, including 12 years on the Canyon Lake City Council and five years on the Canyon Lake Property Owners Association Board of Directors.
“The selection criteria for this award is someone with a deep sense of community, a focus on philanthropy, dedicated to improving the experiences and lives of others, obvious enthusiasm about our city and the direction it’s headed, and who promotes the good in the neighborhood,” Castillo explained. “Bradley embodies every criteria and is now a figurehead in our community.”
Morton and his wife, Jonda, relocated to Canyon Lake in October 2018. Since then, Morton founded the Canyon Lake Newbies and Social Club and the Canyon Lake Golf Fanatics and Travel Club with the purpose of broadening his social circle and bringing together new and veteran residents.
Through his clubs, Morton has organized a variety of community activities and events, including a fall picnic where he dressed as a turkey for kids to “hunt” with Nerf guns, Operation Care Package for U.S. troops deployed during the holidays, a comedy show that raised more than $4,000 for the Jr. Women’s Club philanthropic and scholarship endeavors, a Golf Cart Pub Crawl supporting Canyon Lake businesses, an online photo contest showcasing the beauty of Canyon Lake, and several meet and greets.
“Brad has been building a network of small businesses within Canyon Lake and encouraging those businesses to work together, promote each other, and give back to the community through event sponsorships and participation in community events,” Castillo said. “He’s basically a one-man mini chamber of commerce.”
Castillo also noted Morton’s social media posts. “Every social media post where Brad writes about Canyon Lake is positive and happy,” she said. “They always put a smile on my face and are always about how great it is to live here, work here, and be a community member here.”
Morton accepted the award with honor, expressed his love for Canyon Lake, and announced that he and his wife are expecting a new baby.
