Editorial: Heart of Marin Awards an inspiring reminder to honor community members making a difference

The Heart of Marin Awards is an inspiring and heart-warming showcase of local people making a big difference in our community.

They devote time, talent and energy. In many cases, they have been doing civic service for years and younger honorees often fit their volunteer work between demands of school, sports and home.

The 2024 awards, presented by the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership, were no different and the luncheon brought a crowd of more than 500 together to celebrate worthwhile accomplishments – from volunteers to those who provide longstanding leadership to local nonprofits.

The honorees ranged from Bettie Hodges and Donna Garske, whose years of dedicated leadership were honored, to five Marin teens, who have devoted countless hours volunteering to meet local needs, from steering teens to work with local nonprofits to serving on the county’s search-and-rescue team.

The Heart of Marin gathering is just one afternoon. These members of the community are working day-in and day-out to help meet needs – for young and old and our environment.

The recipients were picked from dozens of deserving nominees.

Hodges, a noted civic activist, was the co-winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award. She has a lifetime resume filled with accomplishments, service and leadership. As a longtime Marin City resident, she has worked on numerous fronts to advance the well-being of Marin’s low-income residents. Her work includes leading the Hannah Project Partnership that provides academic, cultural education and college scholarships for low-income students.

For years, Garske has been a driving force, providing women with support and emergency housing to escape domestic violence. She promotes community awareness about the realities of domestic abuse and created Marin’s first emergency shelter for battered women, as well as a 24/7 hotline providing help that has saved lives and helped people find safe housing and support.

The Volunteer of the Year Award went to Christine Comaford, who has given her time as a patient and family support volunteer with By the Bay Health, the Marin-based hospice provider. Her end-of-life care to patients and their families has brought comfort and support at a time when that need is so great.

The Excellence in Leadership Award went to Caroline Peattie of Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California, advancing the nonprofit’s voice and role promoting equal housing opportunities and advocating for strong enforcement of fair housing laws. It was the second consecutive year the nonprofit was lauded.

The Marin Child Care Council was honored with the Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence Award, recognizing its work in improving access to early childhood education and services for low-income families. Last year alone,  the council issued vouchers for more than 1,000 children and provided assistance for 30 new family child care providers.

The youth volunteers honored included Shea Sorcher, who has logged 2,500 volunteer hours as a member of the Marin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit; Candice Lucas, who has volunteered as a youth leader with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy working to promote environmental justice and equity; Hudson Blechman, founder of the Marin Chapter of 100+ Teens Who Care, which teaches the value of giving to and supporting local nonprofits; Tess Belger, working with Project Awareness and Special Sports, creating Dance Without Boundaries providing adaptive dance classes for youth with special needs; and Walt Novosardin, who, as a member of the Marin County Youth Commission, founded the Disability Justice subcommittee and worked on local initiatives ranging from the Queer Prom to serving as president of his school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance.

Woodlands Pet Food and Treats was recognized with the 2024 Corporate Community Service Award for its support of animals in shelters and foster homes and promoting adoptions and donations.

David Bernard of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center was honored with the Excellence in Board Leadership award, recognizing his work in strategic planning and fundraising for the center.

The Excellence in Innovation Award went to the Marin Foster Care Association and its advances in support foster youth and families.

The Heart of Marin Awards was an inspiring reminder that many in our community are making a difference.