Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership Announces Nominees for the 31st Annual Heart of Marin Awards (TM).

111 community members have been nominated in eight award categories

Meet The 2023 Nominees

SAN RAFAEL, CA, November 20, 2023 – Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL) is pleased to announce nominees for the 31st Annual Heart of Marin™ Awards.

Every day, passionate individuals dedicate their work to advancing our communities. CVNL and Presenting Sponsor Bank of Marin honor local leaders and their causes at the Heart of Marin Awards — the largest volunteer and nonprofit recognition event in Marin County. Heart of Marin recognizes, celebrates, and shares the stories of outstanding nonprofit volunteers, leaders, and organizations who continue to serve the critical needs of our community.

“Each year our community has an opportunity to recognize the work of businesses, nonprofits, and volunteers at the Heart of Marin Awards Luncheon” said Linda Jacobs, CEO at CVNL. We encourage everyone to come together to cheer on and thank these hard-working leaders for their commitment, passion, heroics, and the positive difference they make serving our community’s needs”.

Now in its 31st year, CVNL will distribute $35,000 to award recipients and honor all nominees at the awards luncheon on Thursday, January 11, 2024. Everyone is invited to purchase seats to join in and support the celebration. Heart of Marin provides a joyous opportunity to connect, be inspired, and exchange the next big ideas for building a healthier, happier, and more equitable Marin County.

Event Details: 31st Annual Heart of Marin Awards Luncheon and Celebration, Thursday, January 11th, 2024, from 11:00am to 2:00pm, Marin Center Exhibit Hall, San Rafael, CA. Reserve seats or tables online here at 31st Annual Heart of Marin Awards.

Heart of Marin Awards Celebration is sponsored by Presenting Sponsor Bank of Marin, and Media Sponsor Marin Independent Journal. Awards are made possible by the generosity of our local business community (Award Sponsors listed below).

And the Nominees are….

Corporate Community Service (Sponsor: CVNL)

Bank of America

Bank of Marin

Ghilotti Bros., Inc.

Kaiser Permanente San Rafael – Petaluma

Volunteer of the Year (Sponsor: Open – call 415-448-0300 to sponsor)

Anne Ardillo, WildCare

Deborah Billetter, North Marin Community Services

Vanessa Bishop, Marin Court Appointed Special Advocates (Marin CASA)

Larry Clayman, Guide Dogs for the Blind

Maren Degraff, Children for Change

Ann Feaver, Vallejo Project

Marilyn Freund, Marin Humane

Burt Greenspan & Donna Kalal, Marin Humane

Jay Hamilton Roth, ExtraFood

Stan Jensen, The Marine Mammal Center

Brian Johnson, Community Action Marin

Jeff Lewis, Marin Agricultural Land Trust

Janet Miller, Project Awareness and Special Sports

Richard Moore, Halleck Creek Ranch

Elaine Neuwirth, Beyond Differences

Michael Parnes, Kaiser Permanente San Rafael, General Surgery Department

Laura Podell, Canal Alliance

Ned Purdom, Bridge the Gap

John Ratzlaff, Love is the Answer (LITA)

Gordon Reid, Vivalon

Shawn Rossiter, The Spahr Center

Sonia Saltzman, Youth Leadership Institute and Marin County Youth Commission

Jason Sarris, Marin Housing for All

Marc Schreiber, Family & Children’s Law Center

Kevin Smead, Friends of China Camp, Inc.

Matt Sullivan, Halleck Creek Ranch

Paul and Juliette Valente, San Geronimo Valley Community Center

Linda Varonin, Homeward Bound of Marin

Kay Williams, First Responder Support Network

Mike Wing, Call of the Sea

Excellence in Board Leadership (Sponsor: BioMarin)

Dr. Colleen Arnold, Matrix Parent Network and Resource Center

Robert Hendry, Marin City Community Development Corporation

David McDonald, Vallejo Project

Emma McFerron, Children for Change

Jerry Peters, Huckleberry Youth Programs

Carol Rebscher, San Geronimo Valley Community Center

Larry Rosenberger, Marin Promise Partnership

Amy Schroeder, The Spahr Center

Tricia Smith, Sausalito Village

Cyndi Weingard, Adopt A Family of Marin

Excellence in Innovation (Sponsor: PG&E)

Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity

Big Skills Tiny Homes

Sarah Blevins, Guide Dogs for the Blind

Heidi Carman, First Responder Therapy Dogs

Community Action Marin

Kari Cordero, Napa Solano SANE/SART

Enriching Lives through Music

First Responder Support Network

Marc Gillard, Guide Dogs for the Blind

Kathy Huber, Painted Bins

Daniela Huson, Ocean Conservation Research

Make It Home

NAMI Marin Inc. CBT Workshop Team

National JCC Adult & Senior Alliance (with James Sokol)

Ritter Center

Schools Works Initiative

Side by Side

Youth Volunteer of the Year (Sponsor: Redwood Credit Union)

Surabhi Chinta, The Marine Mammal Center

Turner Hudson, Marin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit

Ryder Lariviere, Boy Scouts of America

Sammy Lee, Youth Leadership Institute and Marin County Youth Commission

Henry Lien, Vivalon

Hiromi Lombardi, Marin Humane

Candice Lucas, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

Jessica Mendieta-Alvarado, Youth Leadership Institute and Marin County    Youth Commission

Annika Parmar, Marin County Board of Supervisors

Parker Piombo, Halleck Creek Ranch

Sarani Puri, Homework Helpers

Oliver Valente, San Geronimo Valley Community Center

Kate Van Hooser, ExtraFood

Marcos Vega, Youth Transforming Justice

Olivia Villanova, Becca’s Closet

Excellence in Leadership (Sponsor: Marin Community Foundation)

Chandra Alexandre, Community Action Marin

Kay Carlson, Marin Open Studios

Kari Cordero, Napa Solano SANE/SART

Shari Cruse, Marin Aquatic Masters

Donna Garske, Center for Domestic Peace

Jacqueline Jaffee, Adopt A Family of Marin

Adjoa McDonald, Vallejo Project

Caroline Peattie, Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California

Molly Scannell, Halleck Creek Ranch

Samantha Tradelius, Sparkle Foundation, Inc.

Molly Willenbring, First Responder Support Network

Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence (Sponsor: Comerica Bank)

Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity

Community Action Marin

Enriching Lives through Music

Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California

Family & Children’s Law Center

First Responder Support Network

Halleck Creek Ranch

Marin City Community Development Corporation

Marin County Cooperation Team

Marin Shakespeare Company

The Nika Project

Osher Marin Jewish Community Center

Sparkle Foundation Inc. Vivalon

Lifetime Achievement (Sponsor: Kaiser Permanente)

Berta Campos-Anicetti

Don Carney

Dave Cort

Laura Euphrat

Donna Garske

Joyce Goldfield

Bettie Hodges

Heidi Kuhn

Jody Lewen

Cindy Machado

Bruce Wagman

Nominees are listed online at cvnl.org/heart-of-marin. If you are interested in sponsoring or donating tickets or a table, please contact Linda Jacobs | CEO | CVNL, Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership | 415.448-0300 | ljacobs@cvnl.org

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About CVNL


Since 1964, CVNL has advanced nonprofits and volunteerism by strengthening leadership, encouraging innovation, and empowering individuals in their communities. Passion alone isn’t enough when it comes to creating strong nonprofits. That’s why we work with aspiring and established leaders every day to help them build the skills and connections that can take their impact to the next level. Together we offer comprehensive programs that support nonprofits and volunteers including Learning & Leadership programs and trainings, executive search, customized consulting solutions, volunteer matching, and corporate engagement. Heart of Marin™, Heart of Napa™ and Heart of Sonoma County events support nonprofits of every size and mission through recognition and cash awards. Other programs and services include the Sonoma County Human Race, Secret Santa, Court Referral Program, and Paratransit. We provide disaster preparedness training and serve as an Emergency Volunteer Center (EVC), overseeing spontaneous volunteers and donations for Napa, Marin, Sonoma and Solano Counties in the aftermath of a disaster. We believe that with confident and prepared leaders, our nonprofits will be better equipped to create healthy, happy and more equitable communities. Visit www.cvnl.org to discover more.