Thank you to everyone who nominated!
Please check back for a complete list of the 2024 nominees.
The Corporate Community Service award is presented to a business that has fostered and encouraged volunteerism and philanthropy among its employees.
1. Briefly write a statement demonstrating the organization’s corporate commitment to volunteerism, community service or civic engagement. How does this align with the business’ culture, values, and goals?
2. Give examples of programs or initiatives that have encouraged or demonstrated volunteerism, community service or civic engagement (e.g., matching grants, recruitment and placing of volunteers, board service, recognition, paid time off for service activities, etc.).
3. Describe the measurable outcomes in Marin County that have resulted from programs or initiatives, including number of employee participants and financial/in-kind support.
4. During 2024, how has the nominee responded to the increased need of the community and demonstrated a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging?
NOMINATE
Sponsor: OPEN
The Volunteer of the Year award and $5,000 for the recipient’s nonprofit is presented to an individual (other than a board member) who has provided exemplary volunteer service to a Marin County nonprofit organization.
1. Briefly state the organization’s mission and services offered. How long has the nominee volunteered for the organization, including the number of years served and type of service?
2. Using examples from 2024, describe how the nominee has shown dedication and commitment to the organization or its constituents.
3. Illustrate with examples how the nominee made a significant, positive impact on the organization or the community they serve during 2024.
4. Based on your knowledge of the nominee, how have they advanced equity, belonging, and fairness within the organization or community (e.g., facilitating programs, advocacy, reducing barriers for underrepresented groups, etc.).
NOMINATE
Sponsor: OPEN
The Excellence in Board Leadership award and $5,000 for the recipient’s nonprofit will be presented to an exceptional volunteer member of a Marin County nonprofit board of directors.
1. Briefly state the organization’s mission and services offered.
2. Using examples from 2024, describe how the nominee made a significant, positive, and measurable impact on the organization.
3. How has the nominee demonstrated leadership and dedication, and exhibited best practices in nonprofit governance during 2024?
4. How has the nominee demonstrated board accountability, and advancement toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goals during 2024? Please provide specific examples.
5. Describe how the nominee has supported a collaborative relationship with the executive director, constituents, and/or the community.
NOMINATE
Sponsor: OPEN
The Excellence in Innovation award and $5,000 is presented to an individual, organization or partnership that has developed new, creative, and effective strategies for advancing solutions to critical issues in our community.
1. Briefly state the nominee’s mission and services offered.
2. How has the nominee elevated the field by advancing new approaches, concepts, initiatives, strategies, and/or structures that inspire breakthrough thinking and serve as a model for others?
3. What makes it innovative? Provide a specific example or story that demonstrates utilization of innovation in this practice.
4. Describe how the innovation reflects responsiveness, good management practices, and/or includes equity, inclusion, and belonging.
5. Explain how the level of excellence is assessed and measured; include emerging evidence or results if possible.
The Youth Volunteer of the Year award and $1,000 for each youth recipient, is presented to five full-time middle or high school students serving in a Marin nonprofit, education, or faith environment. Up to five youth recipients will be selected.
1. Provide the school and grade of the nominee.
2. Briefly state the organization’s mission and services offered. How long has the nominee volunteered for the organization, including the number of hours served and type of service?
3. Using examples from 2024, illustrate how the nominee has made a significant, positive impact on the organization.
4. Using examples from 2024, describe how the nominee has demonstrated dedication and commitment to the organization, its constituents, and/or the community.
5. Based on what you know about the nominee, how have they contributed to promoting a culture of equity, belonging, and fairness within the organization or community?
NOMINATE
Sponsor: OPEN
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.
1. Briefly state the organization’s mission. Provide date of hire for the nominee. To qualify, the nominee must have held their current position for a minimum of three years.
2. Describe the programs, strategies, and services the nominee implemented to advance the mission of the organization. Include measurable outcomes.
3. Describe any extraordinary challenges the nominee has overcome and how these challenges were addressed.
4. What has the nominee done to ensure the organization’s sustainability? (e.g., financial, board, staff, volunteers, facilities, etc.).
5. How has the nominee exemplified excellence in leadership and served as a role model among their peers and the community?
6. How has the nominee demonstrated executive accountability and achievement towards diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging commitments? Please provide specific internal and/or external examples.
NOMINATE
Sponsor: Marin Community Foundation
The Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence award and $5,000 is presented to an organization that has demonstrated exemplary service to its constituents.
1. Briefly state the organization’s mission, services offered, and population served.
2. What community need or problem is addressed? Explain how the organization benefits the constituents/community.
3. How has the organization demonstrated excellence in programs, financial performance, board and volunteer involvement, or resource development? Include measurable outputs and outcomes.
4. Describe and provide examples of efforts that have been made to ensure organizational sustainability (e.g., financial, board, staff, volunteers, facilities, etc.).
5. How does the organization center diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging internally and/or externally (e.g., hiring/retention, employee training, leadership development, public education, stakeholder feedback, community outreach, etc.).
NOMINATE
Sponsor: OPEN
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.
1. Describe the nominee’s body of work and length of time working consistently, visibly, and persistently to address a cause, issue, or discipline.
2. How have they addressed or advanced the cause, issue, or discipline? Provide up to three specific examples, with dates of occurrence, of the nominee’s significant contributions (e.g., strategy, teaching, program design, approaches, etc.).
3. How has the nominee prioritized diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in addressing a cause, issue, or discipline? Please provide specific examples.
4. Describe the nominee’s leadership history, such as participation on committees or workgroups, with examples of contributions that addressed their cause, issue, or discipline.
5. How does the nominee’s story inspire others to higher standards or raise awareness? (e.g., policy change, lives impacted, systems, culture, etc.).
NOMINATE
Sponsor: OPEN
Register for the event!
The 2024 Heart of Marin Awards event will take place at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall on Thursday, January 9, 2025, 11 AM – 2PM. Recognize all the 2024 nominees and celebrate the recipients!
31st Annual Heart of Marin Recipients
Meet the Heart of Marin 2023 Award Recipients:
The Corporate Community Service award is presented to a business that has fostered and encouraged volunteerism and philanthropy among its employees.
1. Briefly write a statement demonstrating the organization’s corporate commitment to volunteerism, community service or civic engagement. How does this align with the business’ culture, values, and goals?
2. Give examples of programs or initiatives that have encouraged or demonstrated volunteerism, community service or civic engagement (e.g., matching grants, recruitment and placing of volunteers, board service, recognition, paid time off for service activities, etc.).
3. Describe the measurable outcomes in Marin County that have resulted from programs or initiatives, including number of employee participants and financial/in-kind support.
4. During 2024, how has the nominee responded to the increased need of the community and demonstrated a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging?
Sponsor: Open
The Volunteer of the Year award and $5,000 for the recipient’s nonprofit is presented to an individual (other than a board member) who has provided exemplary volunteer service to a Marin County nonprofit organization.
1. Briefly state the organization’s mission and services offered. How long has the nominee volunteered for the organization, including the number of years served and type of service?
2. Using examples from 2024, describe how the nominee has shown dedication and commitment to the organization or its constituents.
3. Illustrate with examples how the nominee made a significant, positive impact on the organization or the community they serve during 2024.
4. Based on your knowledge of the nominee, how have they advanced equity, belonging, and fairness within the organization or community (e.g., facilitating programs, advocacy, reducing barriers for underrepresented groups, etc.).
NOMINATE
Sponsored by: OPEN
The Excellence in Board Leadership award and $5,000 for the recipient’s nonprofit will be presented to an exceptional volunteer member of a Marin County nonprofit board of directors.
The 31st Annual Heart of Marin Award for Excellence in Board Leadership is presented to Dr. Colleen Arnold, Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center.
Dr. Arnold began on the Board offering free training to parents and caretakers to empower families of children with disabilities. She created the Inclusive Santa event for children with disabilities. She is an advocate for disability representation and has built strategic partnerships and alliances to increase and streamline resources and support for disabled children and families.
Congratulations, Dr. Colleen Arnold.
Sponsored by: BioMarin
The Excellence in Innovation award and $5,000 is presented to an individual, organization or partnership that has developed new, creative, and effective strategies for advancing solutions to critical issues in our community.
The 31st Annual Heart of Marin Award for Excellence in Innovation is presented to NAMI Marin, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Informed Training.
NAMI Marin, the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness to individuals and families affected by mental health conditions. This award was presented for their groundbreaking work in CBT Training for families, a successful program being scaled to 700 affiliates across the country who now offer free workshops for the benefit of tens of thousands of families.
Congratulations, NAMI Marin, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Informed Training.
Sponsored by: PG&E
The Youth Volunteer of the Year award and $1,000 for each youth recipient, is presented to five full-time middle or high school students serving in a Marin nonprofit, education, or faith environment. Up to five youth recipients will be selected.
The first Youth Volunteer of the Year is Marcos Vega.
At Youth Transforming Justice, Marcos is an advocate who supports middle and high school students who have found themselves in trouble with the law or have a pending suspension. He represents his peers in the restorative process to strengthen their relationships with the community and repair any harm caused. He demonstrates interpersonal and collaborative skills to co-create a restorative plan to help them move forward from the mistakes they’ve made.
Congratulations, Marcos.
Second Youth Volunteer of the Year is Kate Van Hooser.
In 2016, Kate and her brothers established Share the Bounty to facilitate the donation of homegrown fruits and vegetables to those in need. Kate created the name, logo, and website. They completed 187 harvests, totaling 17,000 pounds of freshly harvested produce, delivered to people facing food insecurity. In 2022, Share the Bounty merged with ExtraFood where Kate has continued her support coordinating over 100 gleans resulting in 6,439 pounds of produce.
Congratulations, Kate.
Third Youth Volunteer of the Year is Ryder Lariviere.
Ryder has served a variety of roles including leading his own troop, receiving the Congressional Award Gold Medal, trail restorations, and being selected as a member of the National BSA Youth Council, the highest youth governing body in Scouting. Ryder developed programming for 800,000 Scouts across the country addressing mental health, assisted with Marin’s largest food drive, Scouting for Food, developed software to assess wildfire risk and created STEM kits.
Congratulations, Ryder.
Fourth Youth Volunteer of the Year is Olivia Villanova.
Olivia leads Becca’s Closet, a pop-up store for homecoming and prom dresses at Redwood High School. Becca’s Closet offers over 400 free, new dresses donated and made accessible to students in need. Olivia also volunteers with the Milo Foundation helping to care for animals and the facility, and with social justice for the Marin Against Youth Abuse committee, providing outreach workshops, and working on campaigns that foster a culture of respect.
Congratulations, Olivia.
Final Youth Volunteer of the Year is Surabhi Chinta.
Surabhi volunteers as a member of the Animal Care Crew to treat sick and injured marine mammals, clean pens, and administer meals and medication. Surabhi helps to rehabilitate thousands of animals and return them to their ocean homes. She trained on the highest permitted skill for anyone under 18 tube-feeding elephant seals. She is now entrusted to tube-feed fur seals and sea lions, which no other youth has ever done.
Congratulations, Surabhi.
Sponsored by: Redwood Credit Union
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 31st Annual Heart of Marin Award for Excellence in Leadership goes to Chandra Alexandre, Community Action Marin.
CAM’s mission is to alleviate the causes and consequences of poverty in Marin. Under Chandra’s leadership CAM increased net assets from $4.4 million to $7.3 million, grew earned and contributed income, and charted a course to sustainable growth. Chandra’s advocacy championing key issues such as housing, food insecurity, and early education has created a seat for CAM at county, state, and national tables.
Congratulations, Chandra.
Sponsored by: Marin Community Foundation
The Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence award and $5,000 is presented to an organization that has demonstrated exemplary service to its constituents.
FHANC’s mission is to ensure equal housing opportunities for all and to educate the community on the value of diversity in our neighborhoods. They provide fair housing counseling, education, investigation, enforcement, training, and advocacy.
Accomplishments include successfully supporting changes in state and local legislation involving COVID-related evictions/foreclosures; advanced Fair Chance ordinances outlawing discrimination in housing related to criminal records; and trained 2,640 housing providers, tenants, and agency staff in fair housing laws, policies, and practices for a more equitable Marin County.
Congratulations,
Sponsored by: Comerica Bank
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 31st Annual Heart of Marin Award for Lifetime Achievement goes to Berta Campos-Anicetti.
Berta began her journey to empower and advance the lives of immigrants, Latinos, at-risk youth, and people from low-income households 34 years ago. Among her contributions are preventing teen pregnancy and advancing reproductive health education; empowering Latine community members; and advancing community health. Berta’s active participation in various agencies and committees and her ability to create partnerships and thread community members together have culminated in the removal of barriers to service and trust. She has ultimately lifted the voices of those previously unheard and/or unseen. Berta’s work has helped shape policies and systems that have moved equity forward in service to the whole community.
Congratulations, Berta.
Sponsored by: Kaiser Permanente San Rafael-Petaluma
31st Annual heart of Marin Awards RECAP
Photos
Enjoy event highlights!
Press
Read our press release.
Program
Read the event program.
Awards Sponsoring
As a sponsor of the 32nd Annual Heart of Marin Awards, you play a crucial role in uplifting and empowering our Marin County nonprofit community. This event, the largest recognition event in the county, not only honors the outstanding contributions of local nonprofits and volunteers but also strengthens their capacity to continue making a difference.
- Unparalleled Recognition: Be part of an inspiring event that is expected to draw an audience of over 550 attendees, primarily from the nonprofit sector, along with corporate representatives and elected officials.
- Wide Reach: Your sponsorship will be seen by approximately 1,700 nonprofits throughout Marin County through event marketing.
- Direct Impact: Your contribution helps distribute $35,000 to Marin County nonprofits across eight award categories, enabling these organizations to continue their vital work.
Be a part of our celebration and empower the incredible work of Marin County’s nonprofits. Join us in honoring those who make our community stronger, more vibrant, and inspiring every day. Your support will elevate their efforts and drive positive change for all.
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor!
2023 Award & Media Sponsors
