“These volunteers represent the heart and soul of Sonoma Valley,” said Joshua Rymer, Sonoma Valley Fund board president, speaking of the 26 Star Volunteer recipients for 2014. “They make the very existence of our nonprofit community possible and we owe them a great deal of thanks.”
The sixth annual ceremony was held September 14 at the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, where an audience of 200 was treated to stories of contributions by the honorees.
One of the Star Volunteers, Faye Eraldi got a huge ovation for her 37 years as an emergency dispatcher for F.I.S.H. When Faye started, shifts were 24 hours long and there were no 911 services, so the responsibilities were even greater. Tim Boeve and Ruth Bennett, both mentors, were praised by their mentees’ own words. They have both supported students from early childhood through high school, and beyond.
Every Star Award recipient’s story was unique and powerful, said Rymer. “Their stories caused more than one tearful eye in the audience,” he said.
The complete list of this year’s Star Volunteer recipients includes:
• 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 Mickelson (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)
• (accepting for) 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)
The award program is organized and sponsored by Sonoma Valley Fund, an affiliate of Community Foundation Sonoma County, to honor service in the Valley.
I’m surprised Fred and Mara Lee Ebert aren’t on this list. They’ve volunteered 1000’s of hours and raised $100’s of thousands of dollars for our community.