The Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund hosted the annual Sonoma Valley Star Volunteer Awards at the Hanna Boys Center on Sunday, October 9, 2022. Thirty-seven nonprofit organizations honored thirty-nine of Sonoma Valley’s most active and valuable community volunteers during the awards ceremony. Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund presented each Star Volunteer with a special trophy and certificates of recognition from Sonoma County District 1 Supervisor Susan Gorin and Congressman Mike Thompson. Nonprofit organizations who serve Sonoma Valley nominate their Star Volunteers in recognition for going above and beyond during the year.
This year’s Star Volunteer Awards ceremony was made possible through grants from co-sponsors Community Foundation Sonoma County and the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley, and donations from several local nonprofits and businesses.
“Volunteers are often the unsung heroes behind the nonprofits that work to improve our quality of life in Sonoma Valley,” said Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley president Scott Murray. “The Star Volunteer Awards are a time for the whole community to recognize these amazing people.”
“Our co-sponsorship of the Star Awards is part of our continued partnership with the Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund,” Murray added. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, our two organizations worked together to raise $200,000 in grants to small businesses impacted by the shutdowns.
The Star Volunteer Awards were started in 2008 by the Sonoma Valley Fund, a committee advised fund of Community Foundation Sonoma County, to highlight the amazing work of Sonoma’s nonprofit community. In April, the Sonoma Valley Fund merged with the Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund, and the Star Volunteer Awards are continuing under the newly combined organization.
“The Star Volunteer Awards have been a tremendous celebration of the dedication, courage, and enthusiasm that volunteers bring to our community,” said CFSC’s director of communications, Caitlin Childs. “We are thrilled that this legacy continues under the Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund’s leadership.”
“We are honored and privileged to continue supporting the Catalyst Fund in Sonoma Valley,” added CFSC’s Interim CEO, Sheryl Alexander. “The members of the Catalyst Fund are committed to better understanding the needs and providing resources and opportunities that enhance the quality of life for people living there. We are very grateful for their thoughtful diligence and dedication to Sonoma Valley through their work.”
The heartwarming event was attended by nonprofit leaders and friends and family members of the awardees. The event was recorded and live-streamed by SonomaTV. To view a recording of the awards ceremony please visit their webpage https://sonomatv.org/ and click on the SonomaTV YouTube icon.
To learn more about the Sonoma Valley Star Volunteer awards and this year’s awardees, please visit https://www.sonomavalleycatalystfund.org/.
2022 Star Volunteer Award Recipients:
Art Escape — Katherine Fonseca
The Botanical Bus — Kim Lydon
Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley — Cathy Williamson
Cancer Support Sonoma — Susan Murray
Creative Bridges — Lisa Carlsson
Farm to Pantry — Amelia Belle
Farm to Pantry — Bob Rudolf
Food for All / Cómida para Todos — Laura Ramirez Navarro
Friends In Sonoma Helping — Beverly Koepplin
Friends of the Sonoma Valley Library — Janet Constantino
Homeless Action Sonoma, Inc. — Sierra Nadeau
Impact 100 Sonoma — Dana Simpson-Stokes
Jack London Park Partners — Liz Fisher
Kid Scoop News — Martha Leticia Flores
La Luz Center — Ana Rios
Pets Lifeline — Jon Foreman
Robert Ferguson Observatory — Allen Barrett
Sebastiani Theatre Foundation — Rose Mary Schmidt
Seeds of Learning — Allyson Etherington
Sonoma Arts Live — Monica McKey
Sonoma Botanical Garden — Alan Porter
Sonoma Community Center — Janet Nusbaum
Sonoma Ecology Center — Mark Gonzalves
Sonoma International Film Festival — Nancy Boerum
The Sonoma League for Historic Preservation — Michael Studebaker
Sonoma Overnight Support — Patti England
Sonoma Plein Air Foundation — Ellen Hoover
Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce — Tami Cotter
Sonoma Valley Collaborative – Fred Allebach
Sonoma Valley Community Communications – KSVY — Marcia Macomber
Sonoma Valley Community Health Center — Garland Lamb
Sonoma Valley Education Foundation — Laura Stanfield and Megan Kaplan
Sonoma Valley Historical Society — Kate Schertz
Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance — Marianne Mullins
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art — Gary Seifer
Sweetwater Spectrum — Carola McAndrew
Transcendence Theatre Company — Cindy Belluomini
Valley of the Moon Music Festival — Barbara Insel
Vintage House — Richard Smith
Group photo credit: Melania Mahoney
