Jan. 30 deadline for award nominations

To honor outstanding volunteers of the year in Sonoma Valley, The Sun invites nominations for its second annual Spirit of the Valley award.

“The idea is to celebrate the unsung heroes, the people who are making a difference in our community,” said The Sun’s Val Robichaud.

The award celebrates the volunteer who has provided extraordinary, unpaid service over a significant period of time to a community cause in the Sonoma Valley.

To keep the process as simple and as accessible as possible, the award will be based solely on nominations of 500 words or less. These essays can come from anyone impacted by the volunteer’s efforts, including friends and family, clients, co-workers, executives and beyond.

In those stories, however informal, will be the story of the Spirit of the Valley award winner. The nominations will be reviewed by a panel chaired by Dr. B.J. Bischoff, consultant to nonprofit organizations and a past president of Impact100.

“The Sonoma Valley is home to a large and diverse number of nonprofits,” said Bischoff, who covers the field in her Sun column. “This award will be a great way to learn about all the great work being done, and the people, often in unglamorous jobs, who make it possible.”

The deadline is January 30.

Nominations should address what the volunteer does, his or her commitment to the mission, and how that outstanding effort has made a difference in our community. With your nomination, include full contact information.

Submit your 500 word nomination now to [email protected] or by mail to: Sonoma Sun, 1051-F Broadway, Sonoma CA 95476.