The City of Santa Rosa will honor 14 extraordinary individuals and organizations for their volunteerism in serving the community and improving quality of life in Santa Rosa. The ceremony, on Monday, October 21, 2019, will begin promptly at 7pm in Council Chambers. This year’s ceremony marks the 38th Merit Awards! Merit Award recipients are nominated by community members and selected by the Merit Awards Committee. Those to be recognized in five categories include:
SERVING OTHERS
Wendell Nordby for his ongoing volunteer efforts in the community and remarkable service with the Salvation Army.
Sonoma County Pride for creating an atmosphere of inclusion and greater visibility for all LGBTQI+ community members.
Barbara Toschl for assisting the most vulnerable of families regain stability after experiencing the devastating Tubbs wildfires.
CULTURAL ENRICHMENT
Janis Jordan in recognition of her outstanding effort to revitalize and restore Rincon Valley Grange.
Jeff Kan Lee for his dedication to documenting community events and sharing his photography with the public.
BEAUTIFYING OUR COMMUNITY
Bill Dodson for his leadership role in beautifying and healing the community through art in the Coffey Park rebuild.
United Flyers of Sonoma Disc Golf Club in recognition of their vision and hard work in creating and maintaining a disc gold course at Youth Community Park.
COMMUNITY HEROES
Matthew J. Martinez for his remarkable efforts during the Nueva Apartment fire to protect homes and assist his neighbors.
Dennis Hart for his tireless dedication to providing water and a gathering space to evacuees after the Tubbs wildfires.
Adam Peacocke for his extraordinary service to the community as a member of the ROC: Rebuilding Our Community, Sonoma County Churches United, Violence Prevention Partnership and Santa Rosa Together Steering Committee.
STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODS
Vita Iskandar in recognition of her commitment after the Tubbs wildfires in helping those who lost their homes traverse the post fire process.
Nohemi Palomino Andrade for creating a lively and connected community within the Roseland and South Park neighborhoods.
Lani Jolliff and Steve Wadleigh for helping the Coffey Park neighborhood owners of "standing homes" navigate the challenges of living in a construction zone and welcoming returning neighbors back into the community.
Since 1978, the Merit Awards have celebrated outstanding volunteers who work to strengthen neighborhoods, serve people in need, expand artistic and historical culture, and beautify the community. The ceremony is open to the public and will also be televised live on Comcast Channel 28 and AT&T Channel 99, livestreamed on the City’s YouTube page and Facebook page.
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