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HOME > ABOUT > PRESS > SONOMA COUNTY JEFFERSON AWARDS

PRESS RELEASE
County of Sonoma Jefferson Awards

Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 8:30 a.m.
Reception following outside the Board Chambers
575 Administration Drive, Santa Rosa

On Tuesday, March 18, the County of Sonoma will present the prestigious Jefferson Award to three local nonprofit organizations and two individuals for their “Excellence in Community Leadership and Civic Engagement.”

The Jefferson Awards Program is a national recognition system designed to highlight public service to America. It was begun in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, US Senator Robert Taft, Jr., and Sam Beard, staff to Bobby Kennedy. Locally, the program was adopted by the County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors. After an analysis of other local recognition programs, the County’s program was designed to highlight the value of nonprofit organizations, boards, commissions, and advisory bodies, as well as individual efforts for “Excellence in Community Leadership and Civic Engagement.”

The Selection Committee made recommendations across three categories to the Board of Supervisors who, acting as the final judges, chose the top five honorees. They are as follows:

1. The Committee on the Shelter less (COTS) provides services to homeless persons in Sonoma County by providing safe shelter and housing, helping people develop steady incomes, and helping them get back under a roof of their own. Services are not limited to just finding a living arrangement, they also help people with managing their finances, health issues, finding a job, nutrition, parenting, and more.
2. Patricia Robles-Mitten is widely referred to as the matriarch of the Sonoma County Latino community and a connector of diverse community resources spanning the fields of education, health care, philanthropy, human services, business, and women’s issues.
3. The Sonoma Valley “Stand By Me” Mentoring Alliance invests in the future of the community by creating and supervising one-on-one long-term relationships between caring adults and at-risk school children in need of academic and social support.
4. Southwest Community Health Center is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to providing excellent, comprehensive primary health care, prevention, and health education to the to the uninsured and underinsured
5. Linda Stoic is a volunteer for the Valley of the Moon Children’s Home and Redwood Children’s Center who provides support to children in crises and has served as a volunteer teaching assistant, transportation coordinator and mentor for foster youth age 14 through 22.          

The awards will be presented at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. For additional information, please contact Tom Richardson at (707) 565-2391. The County of Sonoma is proud of and grateful to these agencies for their outstanding service to our community. They exemplify the spirit of the Jefferson Award for public service in their Excellence in Community Leadership and Civic Engagement.