ABC7's Community VP surprised with well wishes on retirement at Spark of Love Ontario

ABC7's beloved Vice President of Diversity and Community Engagement, Teresa Samaniego, is retiring after 45 years at the station.

Teresa started at ABC7 in 1979. In 1982, she established what was then called the Public Affairs Department.

Teresa has been an integral part of ABC7's community efforts for decades, leading our involvement in initiatives that uplift and support underserved communities across our five-county viewing area.

Under her leadership, ABC7 has launched impactful campaigns like our Spark of Love toy drive, which collects over 400,000 toys annually for kids and teens in need, as well as our Feed SoCal food drive, which helps combat food shortages during the summer.

She shows her dedication to health and wellness through our Circle of Health initiative, which helps families lead healthier lives, as well as our sponsorship of non-profit fundraisers like Autism Speaks Walk, CHLA Walk & Play L.A., City of Hope Walk for Hope, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, SoCal Brain Tumor Walk, Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk, Walk United L.A. and Walk to End Alzheimer's.

She also plays a key role in our support of local events and celebrations, including the Kingdom Day Parade, L.A. Pride, the Huntington Beach 4th of July Parade, the East L.A. Mexican Independence Day Parade and the Long Beach Dia De Los Muertos Grand Parade.

Beyond her work at ABC7, Teresa is a devoted community leader, serving on numerous boards and receiving many accolades and awards for her lifetime of service.

ABC7's Rob McMillan surprised her with a tribute at our last Spark of Love toy collection event of the season on Friday in Ontario. You can watch it unfold in the video above.

All of us at ABC7 wish Teresa well as she starts this new chapter in her life. We will miss her dearly.