The playground at the 4Cs Sonoma Child Development Center, adjacent to Sassarini Elementary School in Sonoma, received a pop-up makeover thanks to a team of 50 volunteers. The June project was coordinated by Onyx, a service agency that works with corporations on team-building and service opportunities devoted to education. “Onyx funded additional equipment needed for the project, including a child sensory path, a large sandbox containing a mud kitchen, freshly planted garden beds, and a whimsical rock garden,” said Jenny Copeland, 4Cs director of Preschool Programs (and El Verano / Sonoma Valley High grad). The Fifth Street West campus is one of the twelve 4Cs preschool programs in Sonoma County, offering low cost or free tuition for eligible young children ages 3-5 years old. “We are quite overwhelmed and honored to be receiving the help and support,” said Copeland. “The children have really been enjoying their new space to play.”
“Service is our passion,” Kimberly and Simon Blattner are fond of saying. “We’re happiest not getting more, but giving more.” For a long history of community service and philanthropy, the Blattners have been named by the Sonoma Community Center as its inspirational Muse for 2023. “They embody all the best in community,” said Vanessa Rognlien, the Center’s executive director. “They are tireless in their efforts toward a more equitable society, are passionate about sharing and creating art, and value teaching and learning. On top of it all, their love and respect for each other and their family is tangible. They are an inspiration.” The couple will be honored with an October 7 gala.
The Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) has selected Michelle Quiñonez as Executive Assistant to the Superintendent. An Administrative Assistant to SVUSD Educational Services for the past three years, Quiñonez replaces Kyra Sherman, who has served in this position since May 2020. She recently transferred to a teaching position within Special Education for the District.
Nancy Lasseter has joined Jack London Park Partners’ Board of Directors. A computer engineer for Apple, Lasseter (above) moved to Sonoma County in 1993 and served as Founding Trustee for Sonoma Academy. She has raised funds for Sonoma Valley Education Foundation, the Sonoma County Children’s Home, and the Juvenile Diabetic Research Foundation, San Francisco Chapter. In 2000, she formed Lasseter Family Winery in Glen Ellen. Her philanthropic art and technology causes throughout Sonoma County have included Sonoma Community Center, Sonoma High School (Media Lab), Sonoma Country Day School (Art Wing), Sonoma Boys and Girls Club (Art Classroom), Sonoma Academy Media Lab and Financial Aid Fund, and Green Music Center (Projection System). “I am honored to be invited to join this collective group of brilliant thinkers, history buffs, and nature lovers,” she said. ”Although I am not much of a hiker, and I don’t cycle anymore nor do I ride horses, nature is my church, and it inspires me deeply. I like to go off on adventures; but I always come back here, to the place where I belong.’
The annual Heart of Sonoma County event, produced by the Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership, once again recognized Sonoma County’s nonprofit volunteers, leaders, and organizations for their outstanding contributions to local communities. Two Youth Volunteer of the Year winners were recognized for their work in the Sonoma Valley. Faline Howard started an initiative for the Sonoma Ecology Center to develop habitat for the endangered monarch butterflies throughout Sonoma Valley, Santa Rosa, and Rohnert Park. Jonathan Ling was honored for his work at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, assisting visitors and the public and helping to maintain the public areas of the park. Each received a $1,000 scholarship.
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