PARKS AND LEISURE SERVICES COMMISSION STAFF REPORT

5.2

TO: Parks and Leisure Services Commission September 12, 2018

SUBJECT: 2018 Community Service Award -Volunteer of the Year DISCUSSION Each December at the annual Mayoral Installation and Community Services Awards event, the Danville Town Council recognizes and honors individuals or groups who have made significant contributions in the past year to making Danville a very special place to live. The Parks and Leisure Services Commission is responsible for selecting an individual or group to recognize with its “Volunteer of the Year” award. The recipients of this award are selected based upon the type, quality, or amount of volunteer support they have provided to the Town in the area of recreation and parks during the past year. The recipient award history since 1993 for the Arts Commission Volunteer of the Year, Parks and Leisure Services Commission Volunteer of the Year, and the Town Volunteer of the Year is noted in Attachment A. The Council also encourages recommendations regarding individuals or groups that could be recognized under the more general “Award of Merit” category for their noteworthy contributions to the Danville community. RECOMMENDATION It is requested that the Commission review the past recipients and be prepared to select the Parks and Leisure Services Commission Volunteer of the Year award recipient, and recommend other community members for Town Council recognition at the October meeting. Prepared by: Henry Perezalonso Recreation, Arts & Community Services Director Attachments: A – Historical list of Danville award recipients

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HISTORICAL LIST

OF

AWARD RECIPIENTS

2

DANVILLE AWARD RECIPIENTS

1986

Mary Harvey Silvia Kennett

Bob Morton Jack Barnett

Jerry Carter Walt Mitchell

Mary Johnson Carmine DeVivi

1987

Karla Nelson Margaret May

Carson Taylor Nita Parsons

Gladys Spencer Bud Spencer

1988

Arlene Pearson Roz Hirsch

Ken Preston Brian Harvey

1989

Bill Hockins

John May

1990

Joe Hirsch

1991

Ernie Kern

1992

Roxane Hughes

Ken Sandy

1993

Beverly Lane

Susanna Schlendorf

1994

Ron Crane

Gary Vilhauer

1995

None.

1996

Don and Sharon Ritchey

1997

San Ramon Valley Community Services

Group-Dave Stegman, Executive

Director, 1971-1997

1998

Irma Dotson

1999

Museum of the San Ramon Valley – Southern

Pacific Railroad Depot

2000

Al Hunt

2001

Judy and Bob Braaten

Virginia Jouris

2002

None.

2003

Millie Greenberg

2004

Bob and Carmen Pack - Recognizing their

efforts in establishing the Troy and Alana Pack

Foundation and working with local legislators to

develop and sponsor new legislation advocating

more stringent drunk driving laws. These

efforts followed the tragic death of the Pack’s

children, Troy and Alana, in a traffic-related

accident.

2005

None.

2006

Jerry Yahiro – For his work with East Bay

Stand Down.

2007

Blue Star Moms - For their care and support of

our Troops at war.

2008

Larry and Jan Anderson - They founded the

Danville Community Band, an all-volunteer

organization that enhances the cultural

enrichment of the community.

2009 Mike Shimansky (posthumous) - For his

dedication of service to the Danville

community.

2010

Jim and Christine Edlund - For their volunteer

efforts benefitting the Danville business

community.

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DANVILLE AWARD RECIPIENTS – continued

2011

Exchange Club of the San Ramon Valley -

For their tireless work of providing living

American history education and scholarships for

youth in the San Ramon Valley; for

presentations of historical documents, youth

debate forums about current issues, "living

history" discussions led by veterans, and for

developing traveling Freedom Shrine in

conjunction with the Town of Danville.

2012

Leadership San Ramon Valley - For providing

current and emerging community leaders with

the information and skills necessary to

appreciate the resources, understand the issues,

manage the challenges and lead in the rapidly

evolving business, political, educational,

cultural and social environment of the San

Ramon Valley.

2013

Role Players Ensemble - For entertaining,

educating and providing high quality theatre

experiences in the San Ramon Valley for the

past 26 years.

2014

Mike Doyle – For his dedication and service to

the Danville community.

2015

Major General Ronald Lowe – For his

extensive volunteerism and continued support

for the veterans of the San Ramon Valley and

the Danville community.

2016

Jerry Yahiro – For his dedication and service

to the veterans’ community.

2017

Discovery Counseling Center for 50 years of

service to the community and saving lives.

4

AWARDS OF MERIT

1988

Chuck Brydon Donn Dears

Peter Oh Kim Archibold

Millie Day Marilyn Milam

Ceil McCormack Laura Osborn

Karlen Mueller Diane Condrey

Beverly Barnette

1989

Susan Foord Peggy Smith

Sharon Ritchey Jana Pantazelos

Jim Moore Barbara Gibson

Virginia Mohr Bill Gagen

Mike Markowitz

1990

Dorothy Ebbett Martha Hogan

Judy Winchell Joy Severin

Roz Hirsch Susan Hewett-Chapman

Jana Pantazelos

1991

Jim Walberg - Sycamore Rotary Club

Diablo Women's Garden Club

Loucy DeAtley - Front Street Arts Festival

Peggy Ebersole - Downs Syndrome and Danville Little League

Barbara Grant - Music in the Park

Kaleinani Lau - Danville Rocks

Rob Morton - Danville Rocks

Don Johns - Little League San Ramon Valley President

1992

Mel and Beverly Walsh Amy Torchia

Bob and Judy Braaten Helena Cali

Ron Crane Fran Grotefend

Cindy Johnson

1993

Alan Wheeler - Tiles at Sycamore Park

Lori DeCarlo, Friends of the Community- Rose Garden at Osage

Cindy Johnson, Danville Seniors Club- Chairs for Vets' Hall

Jeff Turner, Danville/Sycamore Rotary - Creek Cleaning

Gary DeAtley - Work on Depot

1994

AWARD OF MERIT

Jack and Beverly Barnette - Owners of Danville Hotel

5

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

Helen Coleman Alamo Danville Artists' Society

Deborah Bouillez Therese Warne

Danville Police Reserves Blackhawk Garden Club

Danville Police Cadets Farmers' Market

1995

AWARDS OF MERIT

Chamber of Commerce Museum of the San Ramon

Danville Merchants' Association Sharon Ritchey

Cathy Basen

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

San Ramon Valley Sports Alliance Dan McHale

Cheryl Yee-Glass San Ramon Valley Historical Society

Jim Coleman Danville Youth Educators Program

1996

Sue Trommer, San Ramon Valley Education Foundation

Museum of the San Ramon 'Valley

Marge Early, Founder, Friends of Discovery Thrift Shop

Pat Wheeler, Principal, San Ramon Valley High School

Danville Library Foundation

Kathy Chiverton, San Ramon Valley Unified School District, Measure C

Jack and Kay McGee, Danville Seniors

Tony Carnemolla, Special Events

Larry Reardon, Mustang Soccer

Shirley Jacks, Friends of Discovery Thrift Shop

Mel Deardorff, San Ramon 'Valley Fire Protection District

Friends of the Library

CASA

Danville Little League

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AWARDS OF MERIT

1997

Leslie Vilhauer

Jan Geahry

San Ramon Valley Sports Alliance

Gary DeAtley

Major General Walter and Lucie Titus

Danville Library Computer Docents

Charlotte Wood Middle School "Superchargers"

Soroptimist International of Alamo-Danville, Inc.

Mike Burton, Young and Burton, Inc.

1998

• Theresa Pierce, work on Measure D

• Mrs. Kathy Gannon-Briggs, Principal, and St. Isidore’s School student volunteers for outreach

programs

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, volunteering

• Aaron Isaacson, Eagle Scout

• Manfred Lindner, environmental efforts

• Bridges Restaurant, Kazuo & Ryota Sugitani, civic leadership in public art display and park

• Dale Stockbridge and Cindi Haines, OKIZU Foundation fundraising

• Julie Raleigh, Marian Johnson, Christina Borges of Diablo Valley Women’s Club, OKIZU

Foundation fundraising

• Kiwanis Club of San Ramon Valley, Fourth of July parade for 27 years

• Nancy McCaffery, Danville Area Chamber of Commerce

• Leadership San Ramon Valley, community program

1998 AWARDS OF SPECIAL RECOGNITION

• Marsha McHugh, D.A.R.E. Officer, Danville Police Dept.

• Christine Dean, Chief of Police, Danville Police Dept.

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AWARDS OF MERIT

1999

• Tom Crosby - For his work on the Iron Horse Corridor Management Program, Landscape

Element

• Danville Certified Farmers’ Market - For providing a valuable service to the residents of

Danville that is part of the Town’s character.

• Win Haagensen - For years of service and commitment to Hospice of Contra Costa and families

in Danville.

• Doug Norvelle - For his dedication and commitment to youth in the community.

• Bill Dutcher - For his leadership as Chief of the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District and

his service to the residents of Danville.

• Vic Conti - For community leadership and service to Danville Little League and the Danville

Area Chamber of Commerce.

• Mike Conklin - For providing Christmas packages to the members of the Armed Forces

• S.A.V. – Students Against Violence - For taking an active role in promoting a healthy, non-

violent, drug-free lifestyle among the youth in our community.

• Role Players Ensemble Theatre - For providing an outstanding community program to educate

and train people in cultural arts.

• Scot Cooper - For his long commitment to serving children in the community.

• National Charities League - For extensive volunteer efforts at community events.

2000

• Mustang Soccer Committee for Diablo Vista Park

• San Ramon Valley Advisory Committee on Youth Safety and Development

• Judy Nauman – for her dedication and service to the Friends of Discovery Thrift Station

• Cindy Foreman – for the Senior Driver Program

• Virginia Jouris – For her service on the County Library Commission, School Board, teacher,

librarian, founding member of Kids Country

• Don Johns – for his management of the Hoots and championship

• Sylvia Simon – for her volunteer service in the Town Manager’s Office

• Robert Rantz – For his dedication and service to the elderly in Danville and the Town’s Seniors

program

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AWARDS OF MERIT

2001

• Ken Abrams and Cheryl Yee-Glass - For outstanding leadership of the San Ramon Valley High

School Music Program

• Danville Rotary Club - For completing landscape improvements at Town Green Bandstand

• Christa Brazier and Chris Hogeboom - For service to seniors and the Senior Services Driver

program

• Youth to Youth - Service and dedication to the valley-wide program by our youth leaders

• John Sofranac - For working on a variety of park improvement projects and sports field

maintenance programs and serving as rep. to Sports Alliance

• Garden Clubs – (Danville-Alamo Newcomers’ Club, Diablo Women’s Garden Club) - For

faithfully pruning roses every week at Osage Station Park Rose Garden

• Discovery Counseling Center - For their long-term service to the community

2002

• Larry Anderson – Danville Community Band

• Danville-Sycamore Rotary – Improvements to Bret Harte Park

• Pam Passey – Chair, 2002 Open Studios Tour

• George Perreira – Developing a community lacrosse program

• John Radosevic – Police volunteer extraordinaire

• John (Jack) Hamel – Carpentry work in the Museum of the San Ramon Valley Depot

• Dan Yorke – Donation of flooring and installation at the Vet’s Hall

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AWARDS OF MERIT

2003

• Sam Beeler - For his devotion and commitment to volunteering for the Danville PD.

• East Bay STAND Down (Jerry Yahiro, Mike Weber) - A grassroots, community-based

intervention program helping homeless veterans

• Blue Star Moms (Peggy Conklin, Patty Martin, Nancy Ecker) - For supporting the family and

friends of those who are serving in the United States Armed Forces

• Eugene O’Neill Foundation (Carole Wynstra, Claudia Nemir) - For bringing the awareness

and pride of Eugene O’Neill’s award winning playwright days in Danville from the national

park down the hill to the center of the community

• Patrick and Laura Schoolcraft, owners Patrick David’s Restaurant - For serving meals for 8

years to those who are less fortunate

• Stacey Hartmann - For her leadership role in raising cancer awareness, nationally and locally

2004

• Charlotte Wood Middle School Leadership Class - For their efforts in collecting shoes to

send to Iraq 64 students)

• Street Smarts Program – Parent Volunteers - For participating as parent volunteers in the

Street Smarts Program development and implementation. (Sue Woodworth-Bennett, Kim

Lonie)

• Tom Baldacci - For donating construction services for the Thrift Station and the Friends of

Discovery.

• Victor Georgiou - For his work with the Museum of the San Ramon Valley and Danville

Merchants Association.

• Diablo Women’s Group - For their fundraising efforts for the Okizu Foundation.

• All Wars Memorial Foundation Board of Directors (Bill Pickton, David Behring, Tom

Hawkins, Joe Raphel, etc.) - For their efforts in fundraising for and constructing the All Wars

Memorial at Oak Hill Park.

• Rich Roll - For his work with the San Ramon Valley Youth Advisory Committee.

• Mike Conklin - For his work with the “Sentinels of Freedom - Operation Welcome Home”

program for returning veterans.

• Mark Gunderman - For his volunteer commitment as a reserve officer of the Danville Police

Department.

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AWARDS OF MERIT

2005

• St. Isidore’s Church and School - For their fundraising efforts to help the hurricane victims in

New Orleans.

• Discover Danville Association - For working to enhance the economic vitality in downtown

Danville.

• Sam Fagrey (John Baldwin Elementary School ) - For his fundraising efforts to help the

hurricane victims in New Orleans.

• Mustang Freedom, U13, Class 1, girls soccer team (Tim Lewis, Coach) - For their

fundraising efforts to help the hurricane victims in New Orleans.

• Danville Children’s Musical Theater (Pam Greenan, Producer/Director) - For 15 years of

Danville Children’s Musical Theater and 31 plays performed.

• San Ramon Valley High School 2005-2006 Student Body (Janet Willford, Leadership

Advisor; Jeff Gould, Student Body President; Joseph Ianora, Principal) - For their fundraising

efforts to help the hurricane victims in New Orleans.

2005 AWARD OF SPECIAL RECOGNITION

• Bill Hockins (Presented to Hazel and Russell Hockins) - In recognition of Bill Hockins and his

life’s passion for photography and his contribution recording the history of Danville and the

San Ramon Valley.

2006

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - For sponsoring the community-wide Disaster

Preparedness Fair.

• Wayne Wickham - For his role in creating the Town’s first comprehensive downtown walking

map.

• San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church - For providing and equipping a tool trailer to

aid in the rebuilding of homes following Hurricane Katrina.

• Danville Rotary - For efforts in obtaining defibrillators that were placed in Town buildings.

• Community Presbyterian Church - For organizing the reconstruction of homes following

Hurricane Katrina.

• Christy Campbell - For organizing the Cross County Partner School Program through the San

Ramon Council of PTAs that provides Christmas gifts and supplies to needy students in parts of

Contra Costa County.

• East Bay Fellowship - For cleaning up the parade route following the Danville Fourth of July

Parade.

• Vicki Brown - For her work with the Danville Garden Club maintaining the Rose Garden at

Osage Station Park.

• The Baldacci Family - For their generous donations to the Sentinels of Freedom Operation

Welcome Home program.

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AWARDS OF MERIT

2007

• Madison and Mackinsey Mascali - For the Packs of Love project to provide backpacks filled

with supplies to students in the Richmond School District.

• Kim Gallagher - For her continuous dedication and personal commitment to youth in the

community.

• Mark Curtis - For his commitment to promoting and supporting Danville events and programs.

• Summer of Service Camp - Leader: Jeff Atwood; participants: Alex Froning, Kevin Hand,

James Jersin, Zachary King, Tyler Lambiase, Nicolas Parent, Kim Santana, Ahlia Tayeb, Mark

Warwick. For participating in summer service projects in Danville and area communities.

• Fund-A-Field - co-founders Garrett Weiss and Kyle Weiss. For their commitment to raising

funds to build soccer fields and provide sports equipment for schools in Africa.

• Jim and Christine Edlund - For their dedication and fundraising efforts for the Parkinson’s

Institute.

2008

• Laura Grinstead - For authoring “Vintage Danville: 150 years of memories.”

• Brad Blake - Founder and President of the “College is Real” program at Richmond High

School which helps members of the school’s soccer program with academic and life skills so

they can qualify for college.

• Kiwanis Club of San Ramon Valley (David Romano, Nancy Bray, Harry Bonn) - For

organizing the Town of Danville’s Hay Days and 150th Anniversary celebration.

• Bea Bustamante and Brian Dunn - For organizing Father Frank’s Kids, an outreach program

for disadvantaged youth.

• Haig and Vula Rushdoony - They founded the Macedonian Outreach organization and

continue to provide spiritual, medical, educational, and basic needs to those less fortunate.

• Linda Ballentine - For organizing volunteers to clean Danville’s creeks and raise awareness of

proper creek stewardship.

• Shirley Bull - For organizing the Cross County Connection to provide donations to students in

the Richmond school district.

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AWARDS OF MERIT

2009

• Robin Kelley - For her volunteerism and dedication to the EPIC Healthy Choices Program at

SRVHS and the youth in the community.

• Danville Police Reserves – (Tim Davis, David Goldberg, Dale Myer, Walt Welti, Herman

Rellar, Dan Scherber, Marc Silveira, Darrell Thornton, Chris Young) - For volunteering their

time to provide an invaluable service to the Danville Community.

• Tony Carnemolla - For his leadership and service to the veterans in the Danville community.

• San Ramon Valley Sports Alliance – (John Sofranac, Gene Stoegbauer, Scott Diedman, Jeff

Kahsen, Kevin Cole, Dean Roberts, Vim Keosian, Ron Tressen) - For their cooperation and

teamwork in representing youth and adult sports leagues in the Danville community.

• CPC Job Connections – (Dean Tracy, Doug Neeper, Rod Ford-Smith, Bruce Cassell, Kevin

Crockett, Tim Davis) - For ongoing programs to provide support and encouragement to the

unemployed.

• Colette Ankenman - For establishing Baragwanath Blessings, creating blankets and hats for

newborns in South Africa.

• Melony Newman - For her dedication and willingness to always go above and beyond as the

C.E.O. of the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce.

2009 AWARD OF SPECIAL RECOGNITION

• Chris Wenzel, Chief of Police, Danville Police Department - For his 6 years of excellence in

overseeing Danville’s Police Department.

2010

• Katie Steinway and Brandan Tang - For volunteering their time and energy serving youth

and families through the Town’s Recreation Services program.

• Marcia Harmon - For her successful leadership of the Discover Danville Association and the

Danville merchant community.

• Dana Wilke - For recognizing the need to conserve water and developing an initiative to

encourage Danville restaurants to serve water to patrons only upon request.

• Cynthia Ruzzi, Darlene Gayler, Tracy Bauer - For founding Sustainable Danville and

educating the community on environmental issues.

• Bob Ferrero and Mike Zumbo - For their support of the Danville Police Department Canine

Program.

• Herman Rellar - For generously volunteering with the Danville Police Department for 24

years and donating over 10,000 hours of time and commitment.

• Joe and Edie Farrell - For their community and volunteer work on behalf of Sudden Cardiac

Arrest, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and the installation of Automated External

Defibrillators.

• Maddie’s Fund (David or Amy Duffield) - For supporting the community through funding the

purchase of the Ford Mustang vehicle used by the Police Department to provide youth and

community education and outreach, and by funding the School Resource Officer provided at

Monte Vista High School which enhances school safety and establishes more effective outreach

to over 2,200 students, their families and administrators and teachers at the school.

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2011

• San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church - For organizing the “Mission Saturday” event,

volunteering their time with non-profits in the Tri-Valley area, and deepening their commitment

to serve others.

• Alissa Anderegg - For raising the awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in the community.

• Landon Gervase Mello - For his fundraising efforts for the All Wars Memorial at Oak Hill

Park.

• Village Theatre Art Gallery – Curatorial Committee - For providing guidance and direction

to the Village Theatre Art Gallery.

• Jeff Phelps - For his service to the Danville Police Department and the Danville community.

• Sagan Richardson - For the “haunted house” fundraiser benefitting local schools.

• Barbara Farmer - For enhancing the arts in the Danville community.

2012

• Toolworks - For partnering with the Town of Danville to provide volunteer instructional

leadership as part of the Town's RADD (Recreational Activities for the Developmentally

Disabled) program in which Danville residents with developmental disabilities are able to learn

valuable social and life skills which promote independence, equality and personal satisfaction.

• Warriors Watch Riders (Spike Schau) and Diablo Valley Flag Brigade (Bryan Welden) -

For organizing Operation Welcome Home ceremonies, both locally and regionally.

• John Reese - For community support for all veterans’ activities.

• Kate Steffy - For extensive volunteerism and exemplary leadership abilities.

• San Ramon Valley CERT Communication Team – Citizen Amateur Radio operators - For

providing a critical communication link in times of crisis, donating many hours to exercising,

maintaining and testing their equipment in preparation for an emergency; these volunteers pass

information from the "boots on the ground" CERT teams to the Emergency Operations Center.

Their "real time" information provides Emergency Management officials with the ability to get

help where it’s needed most.

• Veterans Memorial Building Development Committee - For dedication to the

development and operation of the Danville Veterans Memorial Building and raising funds for

the restoration and expansion of the Veterans Memorial Building.

• Adopt-A-Family Bike Program St. Timothy’s Church: Dave Struck, Tania DeYoung, Rand

and Ryan Mahoney, Joe and Mimi Hui - For refurbishing donated bikes that are distributed in

good mechanical working order to those in need, through St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church

(Monument Crisis Center, Salvation Army, Options Recovery Services, Fresh Start, Contra

Costa Interfaith Housing and schools in the Richmond Unified School District).

• Marc Silveira - For volunteering as a Reserve Deputy with the Contra Costa County Sheriff

Office since 1988. Subsequently, joining the Danville Police Department as a Reserve Officer

and volunteering at all special events, conducting traffic control during major accident

investigations, and providing scene security at crime scenes that require a lengthy investigation.

Marc has also served as a member of the Design Review Board for the past four years.

2012 AWARD OF SPECIAL RECOGNITION

• Candace Andersen - For her dedication to the Danville community.

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2013

• Hannah McAlister - For her extensive volunteerism, leadership and work with children with

disabilities.

• Lori Garcia - For her passion in organizing the Danville Relay for Life event and raising funds

for the American Cancer Society.

• Susie Wingate - For appearing as the snow angel at the annual Lighting of the Old Oak Tree

event for the past 19 years.

• Lee Halverson - For his dedication and extensive service to the veterans community.

2013 AWARD OF SPECIAL RECOGNITION

• David Miller - For organizing the annual Danville Hot Summer Nights Car Shows.

2014

• Hannah Stephenson - For being a youth ambassador for Team Fox and raising money for

Parkinson’s research by selling lemonade, doing an art sale, a bake sale, and recycling.

• Grace and Giordan Gitchell - For their volunteerism, commitment and leadership in the

Guide Dogs For the Blind and the San Ramon Valley Guide Dog Club.

• Diablo Women’s Garden Club - For maintaining the memorial rose boxes at Osage Station

Park for over 30 years.

• Street Smarts Advisory Committee Volunteers (Sue Woodworth-Bennett, Jan Virant, Becky

Sargent) For their deep belief in, and ability to promote, the Street Smarts traffic safety

education program for the past 10 years.

• Shelby McNamara - For serving as the President and CEO of the Danville Area Chamber of

Commerce with steadfast leadership within the business community amidst a sea of constant

change.

2014 AWARD OF SPECIAL RECOGNITION

• Joe Calabrigo - For his 30 years of exceptional service, outstanding leadership, and steadfast

commitment to the Danville community.

2015

• Casey Stivender - For his leadership development and extensive volunteerism in the Town’s

Counselor In Training Summer Day Camp Program.

• Teen Esteem - Linda Turnbull, Tim Hunt, Nick Vleisides, Chris Crawford, Jim McMillin, Kim

Pace - For their commitment to informing youth, parents and the community on issues

related to adolescent health while addressing the importance of self-respect and respect for

others.

• Danville Children’s Guild - Michelle Storm, Heather Ninekirk, Lisa Pellegrini, Marcy

Golden, Angie Best, Patty Giammona, Tracie Vollgraf - For their dedication to delivering

life-enriching services and needed funds that build better futures for children in bay area

communities and positively impacting the lives of children in need.

• Library and Historical Collections Committee of the Veterans Memorial Building of the

San Ramon Valley - Robert Sada, Tim Sammons, Allan Cruz, Dennis Giacovelli, Lee

Halverson, Ron Huesman, Del Loewe, John Reese, Lorrie Sammons, Greg Brown, Ron

Farrell - For fostering an appreciation and promotion of knowledge of our country’s history

15

by collecting and preserving memorabilia and books of the military history of the United

States with special emphasis on veterans and their families of the San Ramon Valley.

2016

• Jaden Andres - For her leadership and participation as a volunteer in the Town’s Counselor in

Training Summer Day Camp Program and her extensive volunteer commitment to local charity

organizations.

• Matt Roderick and Vince Richards, Danville School Resource Officers - For their tireless

efforts to build rapport with the students in Danville and their commitment to creating positive

relationships between the schools, community and the police department.

• Eagle Scout leadership (10 troops/scoutmasters: John Ahrendt, Troop 36; Vishwas Agashe,

Troop 60; Jeffrey Burrill, Troop 225; Joseph Severson, Troop 228; Lee Halverson, Troop 236;

Ken Boasso, Troop 252; Steven Giampaoli, Troop 803; Ray Chan, Troop 805; Christopher

Shipley, Troop 815; David Wisser, Troop 1630) - For their longstanding commitment to

serving the community and organizing Eagle Scout service projects that benefit the Town of

Danville.

• Dean Langston and Ashley Provost, Coats and Cocktails - For creating an annual event and

organizing volunteers to collect thousands of coats that are distributed to the needy.

2017

• Jim Donnelly - For his countless hours of dedication and volunteering for the Danville Senior

Center.

• Katie Wong and Lauren Edelman - For dedicating their time, effort and energy in leadership

positions in the community.

• Avery Chapman - For graciously accommodating community requests to perform at a wide

range of events, ultimately sharing her amazing voice with the world.

• Al Kalin - For his ongoing work to improve safety for cyclists and motorists on Mount Diablo.

2017 AWARD OF SPECIAL RECOGNITION

• Art Gaskins for his dedication and extensive service to the veterans’ community.

MICHAEL K. SHIMANSKY COMMUNITY SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

2009 Christy Dodge – for her commitment to the Special Olympics in Danville.

2010 Sarah Dittmore - For her volunteer efforts to raise funds to help poor villages in Africa.

2011 Turner Stanton - For dedicating his time, effort and energy to the Danville community:

serving as Youth Representative on the Danville Parks and Leisure Services Commission;

assisting the SRV Community Resource Network in planning a community-wide event

dedicated to educating parents, youth, and community leaders about identifying and

preventing cyber bullying; and, volunteering at the 2011 summer car shows

2012 Emme Chu, Sydney Chu, Megan McCormac, Kaylan McCormac, Ella Warburg and

Honor Warburg - For collecting recyclables to raise money for wounded Marines.

2013 Packs with Love (Madi and Kinsey Mascali) - For collecting, cleaning and filling more

than 3,200 backpacks that are donated to homeless and less fortunate elementary students in

underprivileged areas in time for the first day of school. www.packswithlove.com

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2014 Peter Riley - For his leadership in the San Ramon Valley High School E2 Environmental

Academy for the last four years.

2015 Katherine Parker - Katie is President of the Environmental & Engineering Club (E2) at

SRVHS, working to make the school and the community more sustainable and more aware

of environmental issues. Katie is also participating in the American Government: We the

People, and will be competing in district and regional simulated congressional hearings.

2016 Sarah Vawter – For being an energetic, enthusiastic and helpful community service

volunteer, giving her time to both the San Ramon Regional Medical Center and the Animal

Rescue Foundation (ARF). Sarah also played a huge role in San Ramon Valley High

School’s “Every 15 Minutes” program.

2017 Brady Martin for his dedication and volunteer efforts supporting Special Olympics; and

his fundraising efforts in support of SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy).

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Volunteer of the Year - award recipients

ARTS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

1993 Judy Braaten

1994 Helena Cali

1995 Loucy DeAtley

1996 Sharon Ritchey

1997 Lisa Lodeski

1998 Victoria Richardson

1999 Alamo Danville Artists’ Society

2000 Ann Waters

2001 Alan Wheeler

2002 Susan and Richard Dennis – For contributions to annual planning and implementation of

the Open Studios and Art in the Park events

2003 Museum of the San Ramon Valley – for their contribution in promoting cultural arts and

their efforts to educate the community and protecting a historic resource

2004 Leonard Pirkle and Derek Zemrak - For the development and creation of the Danville

International Children’s Film Festival

2005 Eugene O’Neill Foundation - For their efforts in educating residents and visitors about

Nobel Prize winning playwright Eugene O'Neill's contributions to the community through

the creation and installation of the Eugene O'Neill Commemorative at Front Street Park

2006 Ken Abrams - San Ramon Valley High School Choral Director, for outstanding leadership

of the San Ramon Valley High School Music Program.

2007 Cheryl Yee Glass - San Ramon Valley High School Instrumental Music Director, for her

outstanding leadership of the San Ramon Valley High School Music Program.

2008 Don and Joan Kurtz – For their work with the One Room Schoolhouse Project.

2009 Kevin Chen – For the time and commitment he has generously provided to the Museum of

the San Ramon Valley.

2010 Gary DeAtley - For years of volunteer service in Danville, serving as president of the

Museum of the San Ramon Valley and Chair of the Restoration and Renovation Committee,

serving on the first Town of Danville Historic Resource Commission and helping to write

the Town’s “Historic Resource Guide,” volunteering on the “Facilities Oversight

Committee” for SRVUSD, and currently serving on the Boards of the Eugene O’Neill

Foundation and the Role Players Ensemble.

2011 Stephen Rodriguez - For years of helping to coordinate the Art in the Park festival for the

Alamo Danville Artists’ Society.

2012 Wendy Cooper - Wendy Cooper has been involved in arts throughout the San Ramon

Valley for over two decades and continues to volunteer her time in support of the arts. She

has served as a board member for the Eugene O’Neill Foundation, is a current member of

the Board of Directors of Role Players Ensemble Theatre, is a National Park Service docent,

and the editor of the Eugene O’Neill Society newsletter.

2013 Rick and Barbara Mahan - have volunteered their time and provided support to various

areas of cultural arts throughout the community. Rich is currently the Chairman of the

House Committee for the Museum of the San Ramon Valley and assists with organizing and

arranging all displays. He also maintains the One Room School House and, from 2005 -

2007, served as a member of the Parks and Leisure Services Commission. Barbara has been

volunteering in Danville since 1998. She is a retired teacher who still spends time working

with children, teaching art and science. She also volunteers at the One Room School House

where she puts in long hours. She taught the art of quilting to others and donates quilts for

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fundraisers. She volunteered for several years as one of Danville’s Newcomers welcoming

spokesperson, taking welcome baskets to people’s homes and providing them with

information about the Town. Barbara also served as an Arts Commissioner for the Town

from 2001 – 2005.

2014 Marcia Harmon - Marcia is a 22-year resident of Danville and an active volunteer within

the Town of Danville with a motto of “Let’s include ART.” She has volunteered her time at

the Town’s Earth Day events and presented the first “Artful Living Green House Show”

during a Town event. She is president of Discover Danville Association and has recruited

members and other local crafters to participate in the Town’s Art & Wine Stroll. She

continues to work with Town staff to promote art in the community.

2015 Mary Camezon - Mary Camezon has been a member of the Role Players Ensemble Theater

for 8 years and a member of the Eugene O’Neill Foundation for over 23 years. In November

2014, Mary planned a very successful fundraiser for RPE with a theme of “The Golden Age

of Hollywood” where actors performed a movie scramble of scenes on stage and on

demand. The successful event raised $8,000. Mary’s involvement in the arts in the Danville

community spans both youth and adults. She has built relationships with drama and English

teachers in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. The unique partnership she is

creating will feature work to include student talent in the production of The Great Gatsby in

April 2016. She has also worked with teachers to develop curriculum for Eugene O’Neill’s

Long Day’s Journey Into Night used by high school students in the district.

2016 Florence McAuley – For her commitment to the Eugene O’Neill Foundation Tao House

since the 1980s and her 40 years of leadership in the arts and education in Danville. In all

the organizations she has served, she is known for her efficiency and determination to see a

project through to a successful completion. As a member of Danville-Alamo AAUW, she

created an Art in the Trunk program taking trunks full of arts supplies and lesson plans to

schools in the San Ramon Valley School District; served as the first chair of the Danville

Arts Council; served as president of the Museum of the San Ramon Valley; served as

director on the Role Players Board for ten years; and, she continues to serve as a house

manager for shows and hosts special receptions with her trademark elegance and grace.

2017 Victoria Brooks for her tireless service and enthusiastic promotion of the arts in Danville

while serving on the Danville Arts Commission and the Board of the Role Players

Ensemble Theatre.

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PARKS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

1993 Sandy Myers

1994 Diablo Womens’ Garden Club

1995 Boy Scouts of America

1996 San Ramon Valley YMCA

1997 Danville-Sycamore Rotary

1998 Karin Raitz

1999 Tassajara Valley Little League

2000 Pools 2000 Committee

2001 Brian Blue

2002 Caroline White – for organizing community efforts to develop a School Park at Vista

Grande Elementary

2003 Martha Hogan – for contributions to the disabled community and specifically, the

Challenger soccer and baseball programs

2004 Bob Oxenburgh - For establishing scholarship opportunities for Mustang Soccer players in

need, working with school principals to balance community needs within the constraints of

the various sites, advocating the Positive Coaching Alliance philosophy of “Honor the

Game”

2005 All Wars Memorial Foundation - For bringing together the veterans’ groups, business

community and other Danville/Tri-Valley leaders to complete the All Wars Memorial

2006 Erik Johnson – for his pride and devotion in maintaining Danville baseball fields and being

a role model for youth in the community.

2007 Dan Riley – For his commitment to the San Ramon Valley Coalition for Youth Safety and

Development, working to educate individuals and organizations to be youth advocates, and

implementing programs and services that focus on the development of youth to become

caring and responsible individuals.

2008 Ed Bader – For creating and implementing computer training programs for seniors.

2009 Valley Youth Council – ( Anna Tiner, Lisa Wulf, Carmen Ng, Victoria Escalada,

Stephanie McMurry, Erica Brown, John DeMarinis, Wilson Wong, Davis Brown) - For

implementation of the online Needs Assessment Survey that led to ways to serve the local

high school population with recreational opportunities and education about current issues.

2010 George Momaney - For contributing his time to the Town’s weekly Senior Bocce program,

teaching seniors how to play, and hosting bocce events and barbecues for the Town’s Senior

Services program.

2011 Amelia and Heidi Abramson - For their work on proposing and developing plans for the

Bounty Garden at Hap Magee Ranch Park.

2012 Cindy Egan - Cindy leads the SRVHS E2 (Environmental Awareness Club) through its

vision of encouraging environmental stewardship in public education. The club, along with

Cindy’s help, strives to develop life-long guardians of the earth and change current

lifestyles to protect the earth and its dwindling resources. Cindy and the E2 Club hosted

various activities including “Ride Your Bike to School Day,” recycling, planting a garden,

advocating for solar energy, and educating the community about environmental

stewardship. Cindy’s dedication to the program has helped the students educate and

promote a life of environmental stewardship.

2013 Ed Angle - has been a volunteer for the Town’s youth basketball program for over 6 years.

He coaches a team for the high school division every year despite not having a child in the

program. Ed really connects with his teams and takes extra time to work with kids that

can’t make a scheduled practice. Whether his teams win or lose, the kids always

demonstrate Ed’s love for the game of basketball.

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2014 Richard and Lisa Price, Halle Price – For volunteering to help the Town host “Do Cool

Things That Matter” a summer camp for middle school students to volunteer in the

community. Along with staff, they took 10 kids to different organizations in the

community and spent time learning about each organization and then volunteered hours

there. They donated needed resources to the camp endeavor in addition to 35 hours of time

staffing the camp and countless hours beforehand. The goal of the camp was to have a wide

variety of volunteer experiences to show youth that they can pick volunteer opportunities

that best fit their personalities so that they actually enjoy the type of volunteer work that

they are doing. The camp was a huge success and was met with very positive feedback.

The Prices exemplify the very ideas behind the camp- to give one’s time or resources to

help people in need.

2015 San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church Labyrinth Committee - The Labyrinth

Committee, headed by Dory Schramm, Cathy Colman and Sylvia Benzler, coordinated the

donation of a hand-sculpted stone paver labyrinth at Hap Magee Ranch Park. This donation

included organizing multiple fundraisers to finance the $100,000+ project. Working with

designers, landscapers and specialized contractors, the Committee was praised by the Parks

& Leisure Services Commission and Arts Commission for their tireless effort to provide the

community with this great new park feature. Completed in the spring of 2015, the 42-foot

diameter eleven-circuit medieval labyrinth is located directly behind the Magee house.

2016 Chevron Corporation’s Week of Caring Program – For their volunteer work painting

fences at Diablo Vista and Oak Hill Park. Chevron has volunteered in Danville as part of

the Corporate Caring Volunteer Week for three years since 2014. Seven different employee

groups from Chevron have spent 448 hours painting fences and 27 hours cleaning the

Danville Community Center Art Room and Kitchen. 158 individuals have participated.

2017 Toolworks is a non-profit agency devoted to helping all people with disabilities connect

with the opportunities in their community. From January 2015 to June 2017 they

volunteered over 1,000 hours helping to keep Danville play areas safe and to make lives

better. They adapted rakes for participants to use to help keep Danville parks and play areas

clean at Oak Hill Park, Hap Magee Ranch Park and Osage Station Park.

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TOWN SERVICE VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

1993 Nita Parsons

1994 Bill Johnston

1995 Sue Underwood

1996 Volunteers at the Town Offices

1997 Mary Jayne Derderian

1999 Mary Darling

2000 Phyllis Prenk

2001 John and Edie Taylor

2002 Christa Brazier – For her mentoring, friendship and donation of time to the seniors in

Danville

2003 Margaret Bockman – For her long-time service and volunteering at the Town Offices

2004 Claudia Ray - For her dedication to the Volunteers in Police Services Program.

2005 Paul Cowell - For the generous donation of his time and commitment to volunteering in

police services

2006 Tom Shaffer - for his outstanding dedication to the Lend-A-Hand Day project through

Community Presbyterian Church that was held on April 29, 2006, assisting Danville seniors

with the spring yard clean-up of over 27 homes with 200 volunteers.

2007 National Charity League, Diablo Valley Chapter – For their commitment to community

service and leadership development, and their countless hours of volunteering in the

Danville community.

2008 Bette Bennett – For her outstanding dedication and countless volunteer hours she has

provided to Danville’s Senior Program.

2009 Richard Schumm – For his dedication and commitment to coaching youth basketball.

2010 Katie Wesselschmidt - For volunteering with the Village Theatre Art Gallery during its

inaugural year, including each of the gallery exhibit openings, helping to organize gallery

events, arranging beverage donations for gallery openings, and serving as the Town’s lead

docent for the gallery.

2011 Harry and Barbara Hubinger - For their countless hours of dedication and volunteering

for the Danville Police Department.

2012 Sylvia Simon - For being the longest serving volunteer in the Town and providing countless

hours of time and dedication to the Danville Town Offices.

2013 Ricardo Leon (Ricky) - Ricardo Leon, known to all as Ricky, has become an integral part

of the Town of Danville team. Ricky began as a volunteer in Recreation Services by

tracking media stories about Town programs. Eventually, Ricky extended his volunteer

service to the Finance Department where he has provided significant assistance for many

projects and staff duties, including: records management, business license payments,

MUNIS backup documentation, Senior LLAD exemptions, and more. Ricky is pleasant and

an extremely quick learner, and he has been indispensable while a staff member has been

out on extended medical leave.

2014 Monnie Segelke - Monnie has been volunteering at the Town of Danville for more than 10

years. Known as the type of volunteer who is willing to assist in any way she can, Monnie is

frequently seen at the Danville Senior Center helping with cooking classes and special

events, completing administrative projects in the office, or providing extra assistance while

on senior day trips. When volunteering at youth and teen events, she gives valuable front-

line feedback to help staff improve the experience for both participants and volunteers.

Monnie is also known for generously giving of her time to others outside of her

volunteering at Town programs. She frequently assists others in the community driving

housebound seniors to various appointments, shopping, running errands or just “lending an

ear” when necessary.

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2015 Senior Bocce leaders: Bob Braaten, Charles (Spike) Leonard, and Ed Walden - The

Town’s Senior Bocce League, which has been running for over eight years, depends on the

support of three very committed volunteers: Bob Braaten, Charles (Spike) Leonard, and Ed

Walden. Without them this quality program would not happen. Each volunteer works an

hour, one day a week, setting up the equipment and prepping the courts. They then spend a

couple more hours organizing the teams and giving instruction. This year each gentleman

volunteered approximately 48 hours, two eight-week sessions. Bob has been playing bocce

for approximately eight years and has been volunteering as a bocce instructor for the past

five years; Ed stepped up in the spring of 2014 to volunteer on Tuesday mornings in order

to account for the popularity of the sport; and Spike Leonard has been playing for over 10

years and has been volunteering for about six years. All three men agree that the best part

about volunteering is working with the people and providing a place for folks to get out and

play.

2016 Nicholas Crisosto –Nick has volunteered for the Town of Danville for several years and

works for a local company here in Town. Nick has taken on a variety of volunteer

opportunities and is eager to help in all areas including events at the Danville Senior Center

and our popular Kid’s Night Out event. Those who know Nick describe him as cheerful,

helpful and a pleasure to work with. Nick tells us that he is motivated to volunteer because

he recognizes the importance of positive influences. Nick served eight years as a

logistician in the United States Marine Corps Reserve which included a humanitarian

mission to Liberia, and deployments to Kuwait/Iraq and Afghanistan. Nick is continuing

his military service as a Sergeant in the Army Reserves and the Town of Danville is

fortunate to honor someone who is so giving of his time and energy.

2017 Jessica Stemmler for her enthusiasm and willingness to help wherever needed, including

youth events and Santa’s Mailbox. Her talented and dependable help is critical to the

success of Danville Volunteer Services and Town events.