Kathy Witkowicki, founder of Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, a nonprofit group that has provided assistance to thousands of at-risk youth since it began 28 years ago, has been named Sonoma County Woman of the Year by California State Senator Bill Dodd.
Dodd made a surprise presentation of the Senate-adopted resolution at the start of a session of the Sonoma Speaker Series at Hanna Center in Sonoma.
“Kathy Witkowicki is a beacon of hope and inspiration, whose unwavering dedication through the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance has transformed the lives of countless disadvantaged young people,” Sen. Dodd said. “Her visionary leadership and tireless commitment have not only shaped a brighter future for individuals, but have also enriched the entire community with compassion, guidance and opportunity.”
“I am so grateful and so humbled by this incredible honor,” Witkowicki said. “I feel very fortunate to be recognized for doing work I that love in a community that I love. In Sonoma, we say ‘it takes a valley.’ Fortunately for me, this valley just continues to support my efforts, so I credit the good people of Sonoma for my success.”
Witkowicki became immersed in Sonoma Valley youth issues after moving to the area in 1979 and raising four children. In 1996, the trained emergency room nurse founded Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance at Flowery Elementary School to provide reading support to underperforming youth. She soon discovered that students needed more than academic support, and so founded the Stand By Me Mentoring program, which matches adult role models with children in need of academic and social support. Since 1996, Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance has served more than 2,200 disadvantaged kids by connecting them with long-term, committed volunteer mentors. Witkowicki retired from Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance in 2015 and in 2016 co-founded the Sonoma Speaker Series, which brings to the Sonoma Valley major thinkers in the world of politics, art, celebrity, sports, science and inspiration.
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