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Remembering Niels

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Sonoma Valley Sun

IMG_3015Friends and family of Niels Chew — including Eric Ord, Jenny Chew Ord, Susan Chew and Lisa Chew — gather at the Teen Services Sonoma building to dedicate a plaque in honor of Niels Chew and “his unwavering dedication, generosity, kindness and humility” towards teens.

Chew, who passed away in 2013, was a board member of El Nido Teen Center (later changed to Valley of the Moon Teen Center). He provided a warehouse on his business property for bands could play music at “The Shop,” a teen-operated music venue. From those beginnings the No-Name Café was started as a teen-operated business on the Sonoma Valley high school campus.

Executive Director Cristin Lawrence said the momentum continued with the development of the “Lovin’ Oven” baking program and “Operation Bicycle.” Many members of the Kiwanis Club also attended the November 11 event; Chew had been a member for nearly 25 years.

The November 11 was also attended by many members of the Kiwanis Club; Chew had been a member for nearly 25 years. The plaque will be part of a new garden wall at the Teen Services facility, at 17440 Sonoma Highway.

Also remembered at the event was John Randall, who worked with Chew on some of the Center’s keystone projects. He founded Operation Youth in 1997 and continued as a board member when it merged with Valley of the Moon Teen Center.

IMG_3024His widow, Jenny Randall (at right, with Susan Chew) placed a bouquet on the plaque that was placed in John’s memory after he passed away in 2010. It reads: “His endless capacity for caring and boundless energy fueled a beacon that helped teens find their way.”




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