4th Annual Heart of Sonoma County
$35,000 in awards and eight categories, recognizing and honoring Sonoma County’s outstanding nonprofit volunteers, leaders and organizations.
Congratulations 2023 nominees!
The Corporate Community Service Award is presented to a business that has fostered and encouraged volunteerism and philanthropy among its employees
Sponsored by: CVNL
Nominees:
Exchange Bank
Hansel Auto Group
Redwood Credit Union
Traditional Medicinals
ZFA Structural Engineers
The Volunteer of the Year Award and $5,000 for the recipient’s nonprofit will be presented to an individual (other than a board member) who has provided exemplary volunteer service to a Sonoma County nonprofit organization.
Sponsored by: Kaiser Permanente
Nominees:
Loeta Andersen, Sonoma Ecology Center
Walter Basinger, Redwood Empire Food Bank
Olivia Bolling, Sweetwater Spectrum
Kim Brown, Farm to Fight Hunger
Mary Carouba, Council on Aging
Madonna Feather, Suscol Intertribal Council
Diana Garmus, Charlie’s Acres Farm Animal Sanctuary
Bill Hess, Committee on the Shelterless (COTS)
Dondi Jones, Food For Thought
Michael Kaufman, Vital Immigrant Defense Advocacy and Services (VIDAS)
Shannon McDermott, Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency
Cindy McElrath and Merrie Dickinson, Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary
Roseanne Mendelsohn, The Living Room
Laurel Stansberry, Girls on the Run North Bay
Fran Templin, Zane Templin Foundation
Rebecca West, Our Village Closet
The Excellence in Board Leadership Award and $5,000 for the recipient’s nonprofit is presented to an exceptional volunteer member of a Sonoma County nonprofit Board of Directors.
Sponsored by: Acrisure
Nominees:
Wendy Davies, Treasure House Consignment Shop
Llisa Demetrios, Petaluma Arts Center
R.M. Horrell, Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County
Chris McAllister, Sweetwater Spectrum
Jill McCormick, Made in Santa Rosa Education Foundation
Annie Nicol, Committee on the Shelterless (COTS)
Janet Nusbaum, Sonoma Community Center
Mark Soiland, Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation
Greg Steele, Children’s Museum of Sonoma County
Cati Young, Petaluma People Services Center
The Excellence in Innovation Award and $5,000 will be presented to an individual, organization or partnership that has developed new, creative and effective strategies for advancing solutions to critical issues in our community.
Sponsored by: PG&E
Nominees:
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa
Common Ground Society
Cool Petaluma
Emergency Prep Help
Homeless Action Sonoma (HAS)
Humane Society of Sonoma County
Petaluma People Services Center
Reuse Alliance, Inc.
Sonoma Family Meal
Sweetwater Spectrum
TLC Child and Family Services
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.
Nominees:
Taylor Beaube, Redwood Empire Food Bank
Natalie Burton, The Robert Ferguson Observatory
Luis Chavarin Perez, Petaluma Adult School, Latino Service Providers, and Redwood Empire Food Bank
Luka Cilia, United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay
Rona Hansen, United Anglers of Casa Grande
Stella Koene, National Alliance on Mental Illness
Alexa Macias, Petaluma High School Link Crew
Cannon Meiers, Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership
Allen Phuong, Committee on the Shelterless (COTS)
Alissa Sommer, Healdsburg High School
Lilly Streb, Sonoma Ecology Center
Ben Thomas, Petaluma High School
Satya Weimer, Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary
Lauren Wilson, Miracle League North Bay
Marianna Wininger, Sonoma Land Trust
The Excellence in Leadership Award and $5,000 for the recipient’s nonprofit will be 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.
Sponsored by: Medtronic
Nominees:
Wendy Davies, Sonoma-Mendocino-Lake Medical Association
Jennifer Emery, F.I.S.H. of the Santa Rosa Area
Susan Fette, TLC Child and Family Services
Susan Jan Hornstein, Well Trained Horses
Madeleine Keegan O’Connell, YWCA Sonoma County
Kathy King, Sonoma Overnight Support (SOS)
Angel Minor, Conservation Corps North Bay
Margaret Sluyk, Reach for Home
Luana Vaetoe, Becoming Independent
The Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence Award and $5,000 will be presented to an organization that has demonstrated exemplary service to its constituents.
Sponsored by: Comerica Bank
Nominees:
10,000 Degrees
Children’s Museum of Sonoma County
Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County
Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County (4C’s)
Committee on the Shelterless (COTS)
F.I.S.H. of the Santa Rosa Area
Food For Thought
Heartfelt Help Foundation
Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency
La Familia Sana
Northern California Public Media
Our Village Closet
Petaluma People Services Center
Presbyterian Church of the Roses
Reach for Home
Redwood Empire Food Bank
The LIME Foundation
The Living Room Center, Inc.
TLC Child and Family Services
Verity
The Lifetime Achievement Award and $5,000 for a nonprofit of their choice will be presented to an individual who has made a positive and notable difference during their career by significantly contributing to address a cause, issue or discipline.
Sponsored by: Redwood Credit Union
Nominees:
John Chute
Maxine Freitas
Erin Hoffman
Diane Jackson
George Loyer
Let's Celebrate!
4th Annual Heart of Sonoma County Awards Luncheon & Celebration
Thursday, March 14, 2024, 11 AM to 2 PM, at The Backdrop
Online ticket sales are now closed. Tickets available at the door.
Awards Sponsors
Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL) has honored local leaders and their causes at the Heart of Sonoma County Awards for 3 consecutive years. The 4th Annual Heart of Sonoma County Awards™ is expected to reach over 300 attendees and give $35,000 to honor Sonoma County nonprofits and the passionate individuals who dedicate their work to advancing our communities.