Valley volunteers honored

More than 200 guests will gather at the new Sonoma Valley Community Health Center on Sunday, September 14 to honor and salute the top volunteers in the Valley. The event is organized and sponsored by Sonoma Valley Fund, an affiliate of Community Foundation Sonoma County, to honor outstanding public service.

Each year the large crowd cheers for the dedication of these awe-inspiring individuals who have made the very existence of non-profit organizations in the Valley possible. “In a community that gives and supports non-profits, these 26 individuals stand out. They do everything from cleaning animal kennels (Pets Lifeline); to keeping the books; to designing and building demonstration gardens (Community Center); to handling logistics (Teen Center).”In fact, there really isn’t anything that they don’t do,” said Joshua Rymer, Sonoma Valley Fund President.

This is the seventh year that Sonoma Valley Fund has recognized volunteers in the Valley and all 26 Star Award recipients received a star statue emblazoned with their names and the organization that they serve. This year’s Star Award recipients are:

• Molly Fedorchak (Becoming Independent)
• Lynne Joiner (Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley)
• Ann Strom (Community Foundation Sonoma County)
• Faye Eraldi (F.I.S.H.)
• Leyla Carreon (Friends of Sonoma Valley Library)
• Marcia & Jim Michelson (Hanna Boys Center)
• Andy Radolf (La Luz Center)
• Al and Judy Bayless (Pets Lifeline)
• Thora Graves (Quarryhill Botanical)
• Laurie Dinwiddie (Seeds of Learning)
• Cathy Williamson (Sonoma Community Center)
• Steve Carara (Sonoma Ecology Center)
• Barbara White Perry (Sonoma League for Historic Preservation)
• Maribelle Leavitt (Sonoma Valley Community Health Center)
• Holly & Steve Kyle (Sonoma Valley Education Foundation)
• Madolyn Agrimonti (Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation)
• Ruth Bennett and Tim Boeve (Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance)
• Karin Skooglund (Sonoma Valley Museum of Art)
• Jenah Smith (Sonoma Valley Teen Services)
• Debbie Levy (Sweetwater Spectrum)
• Manfred Theilig-Speer (Vintage House)
• Judy McCracken (WillMar Family Grief & Healing Center)

This is the very first public event at the brand new Sonoma Valley Community Health Center and guests will be afforded an opportunity to get a guided tour of the new facility. If you would like to attend, please email Joshua Rymer ([email protected]).