Susan Gorin represents the First District as a member of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, an area that includes the entire Sonoma Valley.
To give and to receive; to be thankful and grateful
As 2015 comes to a close, I am mindful of the quote by Henri Frederic Amiel: “Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” This time of year inspires many of us to assess the past year, our place in our lives, our desires for change, and hopefully, to enact gratitude for not only the gifts we have been given, but also the opportunity to enrich the lives of others.
This year, I am thankful for my family and for the gift of my grandson, Tatum, who arrived in August. I am grateful for all of the constituents who reached out to my office with the goal of making their community better. I am grateful for the spirit of cooperation and generosity that distinguishes this community. Indeed, we can attribute the success of several initiatives and programs because they are collaborations. We can do far more together than separately — and we have!
Let There Be Light! Bravo to the TID Board, Sonoma Visitor’s Bureau, City of Sonoma, and various sponsors for the beautiful display of Plaza lights – tourism taxes at work for the benefit of many. I love this project because it provides a wonderful experience for locals and tourists alike.
¡ Aqui Hablamos Local / Local Spoken Here! This year, the SV Chamber expanded their “Local Spoken Here” campaign into the Springs area. At a presentation last month to the Springs Community Alliance by Laurie Decker (Economic Vitality), Kevin Carruth requested the materials be provided in both Spanish and English. After all, the Springs is home to small business owners who are Latino and serve a population of nearly 50% Latino, most of whom speak fluent Spanish. Bilingual materials remind us to support all of our friends and neighbors. The SV Chamber of Commerce leapt at the opportunity to provide the materials in Spanish and English. Kudos to all involved, especially Patricia Shults and Laurie Decker as well as Kevin and Claudia Carruth.
When locals patronize small businesses, such as Rob Wilson’s Sonoma Old School, they are also supporting the Maxwell Park skate park and possible future pump track. When you drop by Republic of Thrift, you are putting money into public schools across the Valley. When you have lunch at the Chavez family’s Picazo Cafe on Arnold Drive, you are supporting a family business with entrepreneurship and community service at its core. Three businesses in three separate areas of the Valley, yet all have a deep commitment to this community – we have many more examples as charitable giving is more common than uncommon here. Let’s show our gratitude and Shop Local!
Buy Local / Give Locally! The Sonoma Valley Holiday Program is in its 3rd year and the ebullient Constance Grizzell is again at the helm, ensuring even more local families will be served this year. Kudos to Valerie and Mike Marino of California Wine Tours for donating the space for staging the “2015 Winter Wonderland.” Located for the next several weeks at 164 West Napa Street, you can drop off a gift at the site or at one of the SVHP gift barrels. Alternatively, you can Adopt a Family online. Go to svholiday.org for information, barrel locations, volunteer opportunities, and to sign up.
Meeting Needs Locally Last winter, the future of WilMar Family Grief and Healing Center appeared tenuous. Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) stepped up to preserve this invaluable service to the Valley. Furthering this mission of collaborative models for success is the creation of the first “Neighborhood Service Site” to be opened in Sonoma. SoCo’s Human Services Department’s (HSD) is extending a big effort to reach out to clients in the communities where they live – something much needed here in the Valley. HSD staff will share office and meeting room space with the Department of Health Services (DHS) at SAY’s WillMar Center, 583 First St. in Sonoma. This change of operating structure and the plan to create neighborhood service sites is a direct result of “Portrait of Sonoma County” findings about the need for place-based services. Want more information? Contact: Karen Fies, 565-6990
Free Bus Rides: You can get there from here! The Sonoma Valley is one of the few communities in the county not located along the 101 corridor and often, the distance to the county center in Santa Rosa can be a barrier to services and opportunities. As supervisor, I recognize the challenges folks experience in the Valley, therefore I am happy to report that on November 17, the Board authorized extending funding for programs that enable veterans and college students to travel free on county transit buses.
The Subsidized Transit Fare Program for Veterans was piloted last year and provides about 2700 free trips per month, with many veterans using the program to access doctors and services at the Veterans Outpatient Clinic on Airport Boulevard.
The College Student Subsidized Transit Fare Pilot Program is a collaboratively funded program that is subsidized by the county’s general fund, Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University. Between 3500 and 21K trips a month are provided to college students through this program. In the future, it is our goal to have this program pay for itself so we may use those funds to extend the free ride program to all K-12 students in the county.
Bonus? We can meet Sonoma County’s Climate Action 2020 goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while removing barriers to educational success and access to veteran’s services.
In closing, I wish you all a happy, safe, warm holiday season. May we all be thankful and practice gratitude.
