December 9 Holiday Reception

The Impact100 Sonoma December Holiday Reception: An inspirational event!

More than 100 women gathered on Friday, December 9th at the Sonoma Community Center on Napa Street to connect with new and old friends, enjoy good food & wine, learn more about Impact100, and to hear from the 2011 Impact100 finalists – but it turned out to be much more than that.

Following welcoming remarks and introductions of the Board, President B.J. Bischoff described the new areas of focus for Impact100 Sonoma in 2012 and how important it is to expand our membership in order to address the needs of our community. There was a wonderful warmth and energy in the room, but the true impact for those attending were the messages from our 2011 Impact100 finalists: Barbara Cullen, Executive Director of WillMar Family Grief & Healing Center, Kate Eilertsen, Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (SVMA), and Matt Martin, Executive Director of Social Advocates for Youth (S.A.Y.), who sat as a panel to share information about their organizations. B.J. posed three questions to the each of the panelists. Key points from their responses are captured below.

Question #1: What makes your organization unique?

WillMar: We recognize that grief is a great leveler.
SVMA: We are able to reach people who learn in a different way.
S.A.Y.: One of 3 unique features is that S.A.Y. is the only provider of mental health care for youth within our schools.

Question #2: What evidence do you have that your organization is making an impact?

WillMar: We have developed strategies to achieve a sense of calm that allows important conversations to take place.
SVMA: We serve a broad audience with unique programs such as our program in which every 4^th and 5^th grader in Sonoma works on a project with a real artist.
S.A.Y.: We not only impact individuals in need, we also impact the economy of the Sonoma Valley, by reducing costs to county services.

Questions #3: If you received one million dollars, what would you do with it?

WillMar: I would expand our efforts through bilingual satellite programs to better reach the four corners of Sonoma Valley.
SVMA: I would like to concentrate our efforts on developing more programs for the elderly in our valley.
S.A.Y.: I would build a building to increase capacity for the growing number of homeless youth in SonomaValley.

The panelists also had the opportunity to respond to the following questions from the audience:

You have many common goals, do you work together?
What has been the impact on your organization from your involvement in the grant process of Impact100?
How do you involve your large donors in your programs?

Early in her comments, Kate Eilertsen suggested that we move away from the term “nonprofit organizations” and adopt the term “public benefit organizations.” As she talked about the ways that art can open up new doors for learners, and Matt shared powerful stories of our youth in need and Barbara described strategies for relieving the burdens from loss, this term certainly seemed more than appropriate.

Yes, this was truly an inspirational event – not only from the glimpse of the passion and dedication from the panelists, but also from the increased awareness of the great need within our community, and for the recognition that a group of 100+ women can truly make a difference – that is the heart and soul of Impact100 Sonoma.

Click here to listen to the Holiday Reception 1st Half

Click here to listen to the Holiday Reception Panel 2nd Half

Thank you to our sponsors: