On Wednesday, Oct. 7, in a room full of community spirit on both sides of the podium, the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce awarded a baker’s dozen of service and volunteer awards, including the 2026 Citizen of the Year award to Craig and Pat Boblitt.
The 50th annual Community Awards were held at the Balletto Vineyards, where extra tables and seating had to be hurried into place for the overflowing crowd of honorees and well-wishers. Chamber Executive Director Myriah Volk presided over the ceremony, assisted by board president Melena Moore and board member Andrea Caron.
Besides the Citizen of the Year award, other salutes were handed out to firemen, police, youth, seniors, businesses and teachers of the year.
“I look out here this evening, and I think any one of you could trade my place behind this mic and be awarded, too,” said Jim Deis as he received his Volunteer of the Year award. Deis is a retired teacher who volunteers for the Sebastopol Senior Center, Sebastopol Time Bank and other local causes.
The Boblitts were introduced by their son Nate, creating another moment of the small community feel that was on display all evening. Pat Boblitt volunteers for the senior center and at local schools, and husband Craig is a founder of the new Sebastopol West 100 philanthropy organization, which has raised over $800,000 for local nonprofits in the past two years.
In the 50 years of community awards, the Boblitts are just the fourth couple to share the award. Previous couples winners were Frank and Kathy Mayhew, Dale and Nancy Dougherty, and Dan Smith and Joan Marler.
Bronwen Shears was accompanied by her parents as she received the Chamber’s Business of the Year award for her Sebastopol Cookie Company business on Main Street. Hole in the Wall, located on South Gravenstein Highway, was named Sebastopol’s Restaurant of the Year, a very competitive category as executive director Volk noted in her announcement. Vineyard Table Home, a home and kitchen store located on South Main, was named New Business of the Year.
Staff and board members of the Sebastopol Senior Center gathered at the podium to receive the Nonprofit of the Year award for the Sebastopol Area Senior Center and the Legacy. They praised their executive director Katie Davis as an “awesome boss.”
One of the louder standing ovations in the evening was for local veterinarians Sarah Reidenbach and Kate Kuzminski, who lead the emergency pet shelter service known as Ruthless Kindness. The Service to Animals award winners focus extra attention on victims of domestic violence, who need extra support for their displaced pets. Ruthless Kindness also offers human support programs.
Nancy Lewis was honored with the Service to Seniors award for her 7,000 miles of volunteer driving last year for shut-in seniors and for other work she does at the Sebastopol Senior Center.
Outstanding Youth of the Year honors went to Analy High School senior and class president Miles Peebles, who volunteers at several local nonprofits including the Ceres food program and the Western Sonoma County Historical Society.
Stacy Fortin, the coordinator for West Sonoma County Union High School District’s work-based learning programs, was honored for her work and extra volunteer hours as this year’s Service to Youth honoree.
In what might be the last award for a volunteer firefighter of the year, Ian Hoff was honored by the Chamber and Gold Ridge Fire. Hoff has been one of the most active fire services volunteers over the past three years, logging a total of 1,500 calls. With the consolidation last year of the Sebastopol Volunteer Fire Department into the Gold Ridge Fire county government agency, the role of local volunteer firefighters is almost dormant now. Hoff, himself, is moving onto other community service roles and is a current candidate for the Sebastopol City Council on the Nov. 3 election.
Sebastopol Police Chief Sean McDonagh accepted the Police Service Person of the year award for Sergeant Sal Villaneuva, who was away on a training assignment.
During the evening, the Sebastopol Rotary Education Foundation also honored four local educators with its annual Teacher of the Year awards. Honored was Allie Johnson, of Occidental’s Harmony School; Calli Behler, of Apple Blossom School; Sasha Prosser, of Twin Hill’s Sun Ridge Waldorf School; and Katie Nelson, of Park Side and Brook Haven schools.
Chamber president Myriah Volk said of the event, “It was an amazing night as about 150 people gathered at Balletto Vineyards for our 50th Annual Community Awards, celebrating the people and businesses that make Sebastopol so special. We’re grateful to Balletto for hosting and to the restaurants and grocery stores that generously donated food for this free community event. We have an incredible community of volunteers and business owners who give their time, energy and heart to make it all happen!”