Up to five Youth Volunteer of the Year Awards of $1,000 each will be presented to full-time middle or high school students serving a Sonoma County nonprofit in the community, education, or faith environment.

The Youth Volunteer of the Year award recognizes five full-time middle or high school students serving in a Sonoma County nonprofit, education, or faith environment.

The first Youth Volunteer of the Year is Ferne Alvarez, Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma Valley.

Ferne Alvarez has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley for the last seven years. She’s been a part of the Athletics program as a volunteer coach as well as the after-school programs.

During the last 12 months Ferne has volunteered with several organizations. She taught a ceramics series for students at La Luz and was part of the Teen Services’ Youth Development Internship, working with students in the Altimira Middle School afterschool program. The students she works with are primarily 8th grade students who are at-risk of not promoting.

Staff and students alike would agree that it is a difficult group to work with. Ferne manages to find success by the way she is able to relate to the students and connect with them. She has also played an important role in getting the youth she works with to be more accepting of LGTBQ terminology.  She is always willing to have tough conversations.

Congratulations Ferne!

The second Youth Volunteer of the Year is Elise Curtis, Ceres Community Project, Pepperwood Preserve, and the Jewish Community Free Clinic. 

Volunteering has been a passion of Elise since elementary school, when she first volunteered helping to socialize guide dogs in training.

Since her freshman year, Elise has delivered healthy meals every Friday afternoon for the Ceres Community Project. Ceres believes that medical outcomes of chronically ill, low-income people improve when they receive nutritious organic meals. She has continuously volunteered despite COVID-19 shutdowns and includes encouraging cards she makes to deliver along with the meals.

As a result of hearing the gratitude of clients, Elise would like to pursue a career in public health. This interest spurred her to volunteer at the Jewish Community Free Clinic Cohort in Santa Rosa. As a member, Elise has promoted the advancement of systemic change in the areas of racial justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity in schools and local organizations to help promote equal access to quality medical care for those in need in our local community.

Last summer, Elise was selected to be a participant in Pepperwood Preserve’s Teen Program. Pepperwood Preserve is a leader in forging solutions to advance the health of Sonoma County’s land, water and wildlife. As a volunteer, Elise helped scientists better understand Sonoma County’s ecosystem.

Elise was a delegate for the American Red Cross Northern California Leadership Development Center Conference last summer, where she further developed and cultivated core leadership skills such as teamwork, public speaking, and diversity awareness by participating in workshops on topics including disaster preparedness, diversity, and international services. Following the workshop, Elise gave community fire safety presentations to neighbors to help ensure that residents are better prepared for fire season.

Congratulations Elise!

The third Youth Volunteer of the Year is Blake Thomas, The Bird Rescue Center.

Blake Thomas is an indispensable volunteer with The Bird Rescue Center. This is especially true over the past 12 months when BRC was at high capacity with birds and low capacity with volunteers.

During the pandemic, many of their most dedicated older volunteers were forced to suspend their involvement, and Blake stepped in to fill the void. His competent and reliable service was especially critical during last year’s Baby Bird Season.

Blake has been a reliable, even-keeled volunteer, showing a maturity beyond his years. He shows initiative, knows what needs to be done, and how to do it, and will fill in anywhere.

Blake has progressed from duties such as dishes and laundry to specialized tasks such as assisting staff and the veterinarian with exams and various treatments on birds ranging from the tiniest hummingbirds to majestic eagles.

Blake is present during every school break – spring, summer, winter, and fall, typically completing two shifts per week. His duties include feeding and caring for hundreds of baby songbirds and assisting hospital staff with medical exams and treatments.

During the peak of Baby Bird Season, there can be over 100 diets that need to be prepped and distributed, each specific not only to the species of bird but also to the age of the bird and the number of birds in each enclosure. Blake is one of the best at this task, turning it into a game both for himself and to encourage others.

Blake has the gift of working well with everyone. He has a good sense of humor, is efficient, gets the job done well, and retains what he’s taught so he can be trusted on his own.

Blake Thomas is, quite simply, an extraordinary volunteer.

Congratulations Blake!

The fourth Youth Volunteer of the Year is Galen Freed, Sonoma Ecology Center.

Galen is an extraordinarily knowledgeable, talented, and outgoing herpetologist at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, which Sonoma Ecology Center runs for the State. Galen has been volunteering there since he was 12.

Galen frequently leads hikes, introduces visitors to the wildlife, repairs trails, run errands, removes snakes from potential conflict with people, and accompanies field trips. He is best known for showing reptiles to visitors at events, where he draws on kids’ inherent fascination with animals to teach them lessons about science and nature. Last year he has not only led hikes for the general public but also volunteered with the Senderos Naturales program to help lead Spanish-language nature hikes. 

Galen is excited to spend hours pulling weeds for fuel reduction projects or to sit at a table and talk with everyone who comes by about the park and its animals.

Galen makes visitors feel welcomed and loves showing people scorpions and other night creatures glowing under his blacklight flashlight.

His keen observational skills and tireless energy regularly leads to discoveries in the biodiversity of the park and surrounding lands. Galen’s natural history finds at the Sonoma Developmental Center, for example endangered California Clam Shrimp, have significantly strengthened our case for protecting wetlands on that State-owned property.

At 15, Galen is a dedicated and valued volunteer. He can always be counted on and makes himself available to nonprofits and schools all over the North Bay.

Thank you and congratulations Galen!

The fifth Youth Volunteer of the Year is Oscar Fernandez, Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma Valley. 

Since joining the Teen Program, Oscar Fernandez has looked to find opportunities to give back. This past year he has been part of the Youth Development Internship where he worked closely with elementary-aged students during summer school to assist with their literacy and math skills.

Many of the students were ESL students and had difficulties working on their assignments. When asked what he thought was his biggest impact he said, “Helping students in the classroom and helping them through their struggles was an opportunity unlike any other. I saw myself in many of the students and we were able to have a special bond because of the similarities in struggles.”

Oscar continues to work with students, stepping out of the classroom and running a Soccer club at the after-school program.

Oscar has maintained a 4.0 GPA. He is the captain of the Boys Varsity Soccer team and holds his responsibility as a Student-Athlete high. Many of the youth that he works with look up to him as he is providing an example of how to succeed amongst adversity. Oscar is someone who leads by example and many of his peers recognize that, but most importantly the youth that he works with do.

Congratulations Oscar!

Sponsored by: Peter E. Haas Jr. Family Fund

The Excellence in Leadership Award and $5,000 for the recipient’s nonprofit is presented to an executive director who has demonstrated excellence in leadership and whose vision has inspired meaningful and lasting change benefiting the organization and community.

The 2021 Heart of Sonoma County Award for Excellence in Leadership goes to Naomi Fuchs, Santa Rosa Community Health.

Naomi Fuchs began at Santa Rosa Community Health when she joined the board in 2001. Then, the organization had one site and 43 employees. Today, they serve over 50,000 patients a year, employing more than 500 staff across nine sites.

Throughout her leadership, she influenced change not only in Sonoma County but throughout the State. Her achievements inspired other leaders to bring bold innovative visions to life for people whose voices and needs often go unheard in public policy decision-making.

Highlights of her accomplishments include:

• Maintained the Center’s focus on serving the most medically vulnerable members. In the past year, 26% of patients were uninsured and 46% were served in a language other than English.
• Developed the Family Residency partnership with UCSF Medical School and Sutter Hospital. The partnership now trains 36 residents every year.
• Launched the first accredited Family Nurse Practitioner Residency program in the United States.
• Inspired entire communities as an early equity creator with hiring policies, career paths, and community engagement focused on representation from and preference for people from the communities served.
• Established a Healthcare for the Homeless site which now cares for almost 2,000 people experiencing homeless every year.
• Rebuilt Vista Campus which served 24,000 patients a year – after it was destroyed in the 2017 Tubbs Fire.
• Designed each health center to serve a particular patient population: e.g., Elsie Allen teen-only campus, Pediatric Campus in Roseland, Dutton Campus serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Dramatically reduced the need for surgical interventions for pediatric dental procedures after establishing a dental clinic.
• Lead innovations in virtual care delivery after the 2017 Tubbs Fire destroyed the main campus and positioned themselves for rapid pivot to nearly total virtual care when COVID began.

Naomi announced that later this year, she will be retiring from her nearly 40-year career.

Recognizing the lasting impact of her leadership, we celebrate her with the excellence in leadership award.

Sponsored by: Medtronic

The Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence Award and $5,000 is presented to an organization that has demonstrated exemplary service to its constituents.

The 2021 Heart of Sonoma County Award for Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence is presented to Russian Riverkeeper.

Russian Riverkeeper has been protecting the Russian River since 1993 and operates several programs to fulfill its mission to inspire the community to protect it forever.

Their long-term goal is focused on opportunities to restore river and wetland areas, most of which have been lost over the last 100 years to channelization, gravel mining, agriculture, and urban development.

One problem addressed by their programs is the need for trash monitoring and cleanup as thousands of residents and tourists flock to the river each year to soak up its natural beauty and recreational opportunities. Trash is an unfortunate consequence, leaving thousands of pounds that enter our waterways, strangles wildlife, and destroys habitat.

Another focus area is on the fires and floods that are becoming a new normal. Toxic waste and sediment accumulate and enter the river system when these events occur and the need for hazardous waste cleanup and erosion control is very real.

An important need is a representation of the environment’s interests. Their advocacy work to influence important policy decisions ensures a voice is made for the environment that cannot speak for itself. If we don’t speak up, industrial interests take over and can threaten our rights to fishable, swimmable, and drinkable waters.

They would not be able to accomplish their work without the help of hundreds of volunteers. They had 1583 volunteers in 2019, a break in 2020 due to covid, and are rebuilding their volunteer base since 2021. Engaging volunteers and working with youth in their education program is preparing the next generation of river stewards that will protect the river into the future.

Russian Riverkeeper assisted with 64 properties being treated and restored after local fires threatened toxic runoff entering the environment.

In the past year, they have actively commented on 20 policy actions including winery orders, drought considerations, coal train opposition, and multiple industry permit implementations. These comments influence decisions made so the environment is taken into account.

Russian Riverkeeper has grown substantially in the last few years, adding staff members to expand programs, fundraising capacity, and organizational longevity. They have been consistently building organizational culture through equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts and regular discussions that include all staff to co-create a work environment that is favorable and welcoming.

There is a great deal of optimism that they will continue to protect the Russian River long into the future.

Thank you and congratulations!

Sponsored by: Community Foundation of Sonoma County

The Lifetime Achievement Award and $5,000 for a nonprofit of their choice is presented to an individual who has made a positive and notable difference during their career by significantly contributing to addressing a cause, issue, or discipline. 

The 2021 Heart of Sonoma County Award for Lifetime Achievement goes to Ann Hancock, The Climate Center.

With a public health background, Ann worried about the climate for a long time.  She co-founded The Climate Center in 2001. Her clever mottos, including “No blame, no shame, we’re all in this together” and “Governments are like sailboats, they go nowhere without wind; we put the wind in their sails”, enabled climate protection to be accepted as a universal issue, building the will for significant policy change.

Ann served as Executive Director until she recruited a new CEO in 2019 and became Chief Strategist of the organization until stepping down in 2021.

Ann believed that for climate protection to succeed, places like her home community of Sonoma County – had to set the bar.  The Climate Center’s first goal was to have Sonoma County and all nine of its cities commit to the Cities for Climate Protection program by 2002. The issue of climate change was not in the spotlight at that time, but the goal was reached four months ahead of schedule. Thanks to Ann’s visionary leadership, Sonoma County became the first region in the nation to have all its jurisdictions 100% committed to greenhouse gas reduction goals.

From there, The Climate Center developed the Community Climate Action Plan, a blueprint for achieving the emission reduction target in a cost-effective and politically feasible manner. They began efforts to implement solutions in every part of our fossil fuel-based economy – transportation, land use, buildings, solid waste, agriculture and forestry.

These achievements laid the groundwork for delivering Community Choice Energy, the most powerful, cost-effective, local solution for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

At the time Community Choice was an innovation, which made persuading decision-makers to implement it a challenge.  Because of Ann’s unswerving, effective advocacy, Sonoma Clean Power began serving businesses and residents with cleaner power in 2014.  Following this success, Ann led a shift in focus to all of California. Today there are 24 CCAs producing 80-90% GHG free electricity to over 11 million Californians.

Starting from zero, Ann helped Sonoma County become a national climate leader and subsequently inspired the state and nation. In 2014, Sonoma County was recognized by the White House as one of sixteen Climate Action Champions worldwide.

Ann is an amazing human being who has touched many lives and made a difference for our collective future.  When you hear scientists, nonprofit leaders, and policymakers say we can reach 100 GHG-free electricity by 2030, know that Ann played a critical role in making that possible.  When you hear that state Senators introduced legislation to achieve net-negative emissions at least a decade earlier than ever considered before, know that Ann played a critical role in making that possible.

Sponsored by: Redwood Credit Union