2009 Santa Rosa Merit Awards to honor contributions of those who 'make Santa Rosa a better place to live'
By MIKE McCOY
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
They are among Santa Rosa's "unsung," people whose contributions to the city and its citizens often go unheralded.
But on Monday, 21 individuals, nonprofit groups and businesses will be awarded Merit Awards for their contributions and volunteer efforts that "make Santa Rosa a better place to live," said Sally Mullen, chairwoman of the 2009 Merit Award Committee that chose this year's recipients from 38 nominations.
"It's to give honor to those who are hardly ever talked about," said Mullen, noting most honorees go about enriching people's lives, neighborhoods and opportunities with little fanfare.
Since the awards program began in 1978, more than 700 have been given out "partly to
encourage volunteerism and to show there are people among us who are unsung," she said.
AWARDS CEREMONY
What: Santa Rosa Merit Awards presentation
Where: Santa Rosa City Hall
When: 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9
TV: The event will be televised live on Channel 28
These are people and groups who "raise the bar" for volunteerism, she said. "There are people who volunteer all the time, but we are looking to honor those that just don't make a few blankets for little kids, but 2,000 blankets for little kids."
This year's honorees and categories include:
COMMUNITY SERVICES, INDIVIDUALS:
Evelyn Chatham: Founded "Worth Our Weight," a culinary apprentice program that
teaches vocational farming, cooking and food skills to disadvantaged youths and has provided free Christmas dinners for 20 years.
Jim Lanz: A founder of Piner High School's Hall of Fame who has led fundraising efforts over the past several years that raised more than $50,000 toward athletic needs, including football stadium lights.
Judy Kennedy: Led efforts to include her Burbank Gardens Neighborhood in the city's
Station Area plan and has been a driving force to reduce city's carbon footprint through
distribution of fluorescent light bulbs.
Rhonda Roman: Fleet Feet store owner and founder of six-year-old Run to Stop Hunger
that helps fund two charities, the Redwood Empire Food Bank and FISH of Santa Rosa.
Julie Chasen: Santa Rosa Junior College neighborhood resident who led efforts to create
the Humboldt Street Bike Boulevard, a neighborhood bulletin board, a weekly produce
swap and public-use spaces.
Alan D'Ambrogi: A 25-year Rincon Valley Fire Protection District volunteer firefighter
who also volunteers at the Redwood Empire Food Bank, the St. Vincent dePaul Society and Sonoma County Humane Society.
COMMUNITY SERVICES, ORGANIZATIONS & BUSINESSES:
Mother's Club: Members write letters and donate gifts to U.S. soldiers abroad, visit convalescent hospitals, donate clothes to women's and children's shelters and sponsor self-defense classes for women.
Fountaingrove II Open Space Maintenance Association: Members donate hundreds
of hours annually to clear 200 acres of wildlands of fire dangers, pick up roadway
trash, plant trees and raise funds for a neighborhood park.
Listening for a Change: Develops and shares oral histories collected from people
with widely diverse backgrounds to break down walls of intolerance and misunderstanding in schools, businesses and the community.
YOUTH SERVICES:
Cesar Cruz: Has been a peer educator for Southwest Community Health Center and at
local high school campuses on health and social issues affecting teens. He is an advocate of the Safe School Ambassador Program.
MANA de Sonoma County: The local chapter of the National Latina Organization sponsors the "Hermanitas Mentorship Program" that helps Latino girls ages 11 to 17 prepare for scholastic, career and life choices.
Alan Miller: Donates 15 hours a week teaching martial arts and other life skills to
more than 400 at-risk youth who have gone through the Martial Arts Youth Institute.
Warren Dickinson: A licensed general contractor who donates expertise and materials
to help develop The Children's Village, a series of homes that provide stable environments for children in foster care.
NEIGHBORHOOD ENRICHMENT:
Steve Burns: The southwest Santa Rosa resident since 2005 has been removing and painting over graffiti as quickly as it appears, even to the point of matching paint.
Rob Fisher: A contractor who restored in historic detail a small, 80-year-old apartment
complex in the Santa Rosa Junior College neighborhood.
Santa Rosa City Schools: For construction of DeSoto Hall, a classroom building that
matches the historic Gothic architecture of other Santa Rosa High buildings while meets
environmentally friendly standards.
Tzu Chi Foundation: Members of the Taiwan Buddhist group have hosted a litter cleanup
day at Howarth Park each quarter of the year for the past three years.
Narrow Way Stage Company: Provides alternative venue for emerging actors, directors
and set designers to offer audiences plays based on youthful views of issues ranging from homelessness to post-traumatic stress.
Jim King: At 89 years of age, he continues to do annual pruning and provide weekly care
of several beds of roses he helped plant in Juilliard Park more than 50 years ago.
CULTURAL ENRICHMENT:
Lisa Skelly: The parent of a Santa Rosa Middle School student spent a year painting
two murals on the front of the school depicting Sonoma County's agricultural and rural
landscapes.
Santa Rosa Nissan: Rebuilt its aging dealership using environmentally friendly methods
that included recycled steel, solar panels, skylights and a bus shelter and bike rack to encourage less-polluting options.
