Kevin Galart was recently presented with the December ‘Woodlander of the Month’ award, which recognizes outstanding community service and volunteerism. Born and raised in Woodland, Kevin has been involved with many volunteer activities over the passed 15 years, mostly centered on youth sports.

Kevin is in his eighth year volunteering for Woodland Little League, serving as league president for the last two years.  He has coached football and baseball at Lee and Douglass Middle Schools as well as at Woodland and Pioneer High Schools.

Woodland City Manager, Mark Deven, who made the presentation speech at Galart’s award luncheon, spoke highly of Kevin’s dedication and coaching abilities.  “Kevin is my son’s coach.  He is so patient with the kids and is exceptionally talented in guiding them and bringing out top performances.  I don’t know of anyone who is a better coach than Kevin.”

Self-effacing and low-key, Galart was somewhat embarrassed about being ‘Woodlander of the Month’, but appreciated the recognition nonetheless.  “I just want to know who nominated me!” said Galart, frustrated that the person who nominated him wanted to remain anonymous.  “I think, however, I know who it is, and intend to nominate them next month.”

When asked why it is important for him to be involved in his community, Kevin responded that he wants others to have the same opportunities or better opportunities than he had. 

“I have learned a lot over the years from many different people in Woodland.  I believe it is my turn to give back.  I think others should be involved because that is what we do in Woodland, and why we have such a great community.”

Cherie Schroeder, director and coordinator of local and northern regional Foster and Kinship Care Education, has been selected as September ‘Woodlander of the Month.’ This monthly award, co-sponsored by officials representing the City of Woodland and Yolo County, is presented to individuals who have shown outstanding community service and volunteerism.

Assisting foster, kinship and adoptive parents since 1985, Cherie said that she cherishes the strong relationships of the community’s parents and children she serves.

“Serving others gives life meaning and purpose,” she explained. “Leaving a legacy of caring, sharing resources, and making an effort to help [others] makes me feel that I was placed here for a positive purpose.”

In addition to her duties as director and instructional specialist for Foster and Kinship Care Education at Woodland Community College, Cherie has recently expanded her service to include working as coordinator for Foster Care Recruitment and Retention at the Yolo County Children’s Alliance.

Cherie’s dedication stretches far beyond a 40 hour work week, as a great deal of her personal time and finances are devoted to helping local foster children and their caregivers. Currently over 400 infants and youth are in foster care, 65 percent having to be placed over 30 miles from their home of origin due to the lack of local caregivers.

Upon receiving her award, Cheri expressed her appreciation for the support of so many in the community to foster care, including Woodland Community College, Yolo County Department of Employment and Social Services for working diligently to improve standards and better meet the needs of county licensed foster parents, and for the support, financial assistance, and interest of the Yolo County Children’s Alliance, FamiliesFirst, and First 5 Yolo.

“They say ‘it takes a village’ to raise a child; in the case of children placed under the umbrella of protective custody, it takes a community.”

Celebrating at a lunch in her honor, plant biologist Christine Shewmaker was named August ‘Woodlander of the Month.’

Members of the Woodland City Council and Yolo County Board of Supervisors are very familiar with Christine’s tireless efforts towards climate change and global warming. Both the City and County have sought Christine’s advice and assistance in raising awareness regarding solar use, energy reduction and alternatives. She is currently an active member of Woodland’s newly formed committee on energy and climate change.

“As a plant biologist and scientist, I am convinced climate change is something we all need to address and with a good degree of urgency,” said Christine. “It has been good to see the steps the City and County have taken and to feel that I have had some part in that. It is one thing to sit in one’s home and say no one is doing anything—it is another to go to meetings and ask in a constructive manner that something be done.”

Christine received her undergraduate degree in 1970 at U.C. Davis in biochemistry and biophysics and her doctorate in biochemistry from Ohio University in 1979. She has lived in Woodland for 20 years and is owner of BluGoose Plant Biology Consulting. When not isn’t inspiring others to ‘go green’ she is producing some green of her own. An avid gardener, she is well known amongst family and friends for her homegrown vegetables and giant pomegranates.

The ‘Woodlander of the Month’ award recognizes those who have shown outstanding volunteerism and contribution to the Woodland community, co-sponsored by Woodland Mayor, Skip Davies; the Daily Democrat; and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland, Duane Chamberlain and Matt Rexroad.

Paula Gimenez has been selected as the ‘Woodlander of the Month’ for July 2008.

Since 1997, Ms. Gimenez has been an integral part of an important volunteer program at the Yolo County Juvenile Detention Facility. Co-Coordinator for the Holy Rosary, Juvenile Hall Ministry, Ms. Gimenez has been key in the management of this program which assists young people who have found themselves at a critical turning point, those who are temporarily detained and who will be making choices about what to do next in their lives.

Services provided by the program include volunteers visiting the minors weekly to listen, playing table games, helping with letters, and generally just showing that somebody cares. The volunteers also make home-baked goods, distributed weekly; they the mend and alter clothing; prepare annual holiday dinners; and secure donations of books and cash donations for haircuts.

Describing Ms. Gimenez as “integral” to the program is an understatement, says Don Meyer, Chief Probation Officer for Yolo County. “She was one of nine caring persons who first stepped up eleven years ago when word went out that the youth detained at the juvenile hall could use some help outside the scope of what hall staff could provide. She is humble about her work, quietly doing it out of her heart and with compassion for those young people who have found themselves at a crossroads.”

Caring for youth has been a life-long endeavor for Gimenez. Growing up and raising a family in Woodland, she has been a 4-H and Brownie Troop leader, parent volunteer for school and youth programs, and a 15 year staff member at Whitehead Elementary School. In her spare time, Ms. Gimenez says her greatest joy is to spend time with her family, daughter Kim Crum, and son, Mike Gimenez, and her five grandchildren.

Of her volunteerism Gimenz commented that she can’t image herself not helping others, saying that it is an opportunity to make a positive contribution to something you yourself enjoy or like to support.

“When one considers the number of kids she and her fellow volunteers have impacted over the years,” said Don Meyer, “it is truly mindboggling, and an example of what one Woodlander can do to improve the lives of others.”

William “Willy” Truitt was selected ‘Woodlander of the Month’ for April, 2008.

Truitt is the managing owner of Amos Metz Rentals.  His company contributes annually $10,000 to $20,000 in the form of free rentals to public and private non-profit community service groups, including the Boy and Girl Scouts, the Woodland Tree Foundation, FFA and 4-H, the Yolo County Fair, and the Woodland Stroll through History.

Woodland Vice-Mayor, Skip Davies, commented that he has always depended on Willy to come through when he needs equipment for the high schools.

Truitt also has provided rental equipment for track improvements at Lee Middle School, the installation of the historic clock in the downtown plaza, and ladders and scaffolding in support of children’s theater.

The ‘Woodlander of the Month’ award recognizes outstanding community service and volunteerism and is co-sponsored by Mayor David Flory, the Daily Democrat, and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland, Duane Chamberlain and Matt Rexroad.

Bill Ragsdale was recognized at a lunch in his honor for his work as District Chairman for Yolo County Boy Scouts.

As Chairman, Ragsdale provides support to 36 scouting units containing 980 youths, boys and girls, from age 6 to age 20. He assists in event coordination, scout training and advancement, as well as helping with the district’s two annual food drives and fundraising.

According to Ragsdale, his volunteerism with the Scouts results in a multiply effect. “My effort grows by that of the other volunteers,” he said, giving the example that over the last six years, the Eagle Scout program has completed 120 service projects in Yolo County, benefiting schools, parks, and nature conservancy.

Bill and his wife, Anne, moved to Woodland in 1986 from the Bay Area. They have enjoyed Woodland’s small town atmosphere and have found volunteering adds value not only to the community, but also to their own lives. “Volunteers have a surprisingly large role in shaping the outcomes of our community,” Ragsdale said. “I enjoy being a part of that.”

The ‘Woodlander of the Month’ award recognizes outstanding community service and is sponsored by Mayor David Flory, the Daily Democrat, and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland, Duane Chamberlain and Matt Rexroad.

Tom Alexander Recognized as November 'Woodlander of the Month'

Tom Alexander, president of the Yolo County YMCA Board of Directors, is the recipient of the November, 2007 “Woodlander of the Month” award.

A life-long resident of Woodland, Mr. Alexander has been involved with youth activities through the YMCA and Woodland Little League for many years.  “I like to help kids have something to do that they can enjoy and feel good about,” said Alexander. I think we have all benefited by what people and businesses support and volunteer for in our community.”

Alexander is also the representative for the Yolo County YMCA on the YMCA of Superior California Regional Board of Directors. He currently works as an Operating Engineer for UC Davis Operations and Maintenance, Agricultural Services.

The ‘Woodlander of the Month’ award recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding community service and is co-sponsored by Mayor David Flory, The Daily Democrat, and Yolo County supervisors representing Woodland, Duane Chamberlain and Matt Rexroad.

Photo: L-R, Woodland Mayor, David Flory; Yolo County Supervisor, Matt Rexroad; Tom Alexander; Kelly Hutchison, Yolo County YMCA Ex. Director; Tom Payne, General Director/CEO of YMCA of Greater Sacramento.

Chris Bencomo is the recipient of the September, 2007 Woodlander of the Month award honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to the community.  

Mrs. Bencomo is the founder of Lee Middle School’s “Parents on Campus” program, a voluntary group of parents who help provide a safe and nurturing school campus environment during the day. 

Bencomo was compelled to foster the volunteer program when in 1999 she and one other parent were all who were on Lee’s campus at lunch.  “We had over 1000 children at lunch with no ratio of adults to properly supervise the kids,” Bencomo said. “It was a scary time for me as a parent to see what was happening at my child’s school.” 

Now the “Parents on Campus” coordinator at Woodland High School, Bencomo continues to assure that students are kept safe. “We are in desperate need of volunteers,” commented Bencomo, adding that parent involvement on school campuses is a great way to get involved in community service. 

“Our schools, our community would suffer without all the wonderful people who volunteer each day.  You can always tell if a community has a good volunteer base the minute you drive into it.”  

The mother of three, Bencomo has a background in elementary education and is also currently the Home Hospital Teacher for the Woodland Joint Unified School District.  She and her husband John, Director of Yolo County Public Planning and Public Works, have lived in Woodland for over 14 years.  

The Woodlander of the Month award is sponsored by Woodland Mayor, David Flory; the Daily Democrat; and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland: Duane Chamberlain and Matt Rexroad

Whitehead Elementary School volunteer, Rose Bacchini, recently gathered with friends at a luncheon in her honor, celebrating her acceptance of the October, 2007 “Woodlander of the Month” award. 

A life-long resident of Woodland, Ms. Bacchini has been a Whitehead parent volunteer for nearly a decade. The school’s principal, Bob Garcia, said of Bacchini’s involvement, “She spearheads so many activities with parents and the kids that without Rose, and volunteers like her, so much would not get accomplished.”

In addition to her work at Whitehead, Bacchini is also a volunteer for Yolo County’s Habitat for Humanity as a member of the family selection committee and as an organizer of the annual Indian Dinner for the last several years. Professionally Ms. Bacchini is Program Assistant at the CRESS Center of the School of Education at UC Davis, where she works with K-12 teachers, Healthy Start, and community-school partnerships.

Bacchini commented that being involved in community volunteerism is a way of life for her. “My parents were always volunteers at school and church, so volunteering just seems like the normal thing to do.  Though I’d like to have a deep, philosophical reason, the bottom line is that I have no excuse for doing nothing.”

The “Woodlander of the Month Award” recognizes outstanding community service and is co-sponsored by Mayor David Flory, the Daily Democrat, and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland: Duane Chamberlain and Matt Rexroad.

Caledonian Club Vice Chief, Randy Russell, is recipient of the August 2007 Woodlander of the Month award, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the community.

Russell was honored for his long-time community service, including his ten years with the Caledonian Club’s Scottish Games, and Woodland’s public access television station, WAVE, channel 21.  Russell has been a volunteer at the WAVE for over 14 years and is currently on its board of directors as Technical Advisor.

When not volunteering at the WAVE, Russell can be seen working with the Hennigan Frisbee K9 dog show.  The Hennigan Frisbee dogs have traveled the world, delighting people with their incredible acrobatic feats. Russell was recently with them at the California State Fair.

Passionate about cooking, Russell plans to represent the Caledonian Club this year in the Chili Cook-off.  “I will make chili with a Scottish flair,” said Russell. “I’ll be using highland beef instead of regular beef.”

Russell can also add that of Girl Scout leader to his list of community service.  During his twenty years with the Girl Scouts, he proudly served as Woodland Cabin Manager and Cookie Manager. Russell said of his volunteerism: “You get out of life what you put into it.  I like to volunteer and help people.  I am a strong believer in giving back to the community.”

The Woodlander of the Month award is sponsored by Woodland Mayor, David Flory; the Daily Democrat; and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland: Duane Chamberlain and Matt Rexroad.

Local resident Kelly Peart was named July 2007’s “Woodlander of the Month.”

Peart was honored for two blood drives she organized to help 10-year-old Sammie Hartsfield, who is receiving chemotherapy treatment for Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.  Sammie is the daughter of Chris and Steve Hartsfield, close friends of Peart.

The blood drives in January and in March of this year each brought in over a 100 donors.  Peart plans to organize a third blood drive for Sammie who will need numerous more transfusions while she fights this disease.

The Woodlander of the Month Award, which recognizes outstanding community service, is co-sponsored by Woodland Mayor, David Flory; the Daily Democrat; and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland: Duane Chamberlain and Matt Rexroad.

Former Daily Democrat Sports Editor, Gary Traynham, is the June 2007 recipient of the Woodlander of the Month award.

“Traynham” and “sports” have been synonymous to community members since he first began working at the Democrat in 1963. Many things in Woodland have changed over the last 44 years, but Traynham’s name on the local sports page was one of the few consistencies.  
 

Democrat Editor, Jim Smith, said the sports pages of the Democrat have won many awards over the time Traynham has been sports editor.  But entering contests didn’t really reflect Traynham’s primary intent, which was to report on the local community of Woodland and Yolo County. “That’s a very important lesson Gary has taught me,” said Smith. “He’s all about reporting on local events, and whenever I had grand dreams about presenting more news from the state, nation, or world, I’ve always remembered that Gary would sooner publish a story on a local person or local event.  That’s kept me grounded in community journalism.”
 
Referred to as the ‘Yoda of local sports writers,’ Traynham quietly exited the field, retiring from the Democrat on June 1, 2007. Fortunately for us all, he’s promised to come back to toss out a column or two for old-time’s sake.  “Gary Traynham filled the pages of our local newspaper with a view of our community that would not have been possible without him,” says Matt. “His contribution to the culture of Woodland is enormous.”
 
The Woodlander of the Month Award is co-sponsored by Woodland Mayor, David Flory, the Daily Democrat; and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland: Duane Chamberlain and Matt Rexroad. The award recognizes those individuals who have provided outstanding contributions to our community.

(above picture, L-R: Woodland Vice-Mayor, Skip Davies, Gary Traynham, Kelly Leibhold, Daily Democrat Publisher, Matt Rexroad)
 

 
George "Bud" Goding is May's Woodlander of the Month.  Bud serves on the Woodland Public Library's Board of Directors and has been an essential component in making the library the fabulous place it is. Congratulations, Bud, and thank you for all your great service to our community.

George was born in Caspar, Wyoming and was a 1967 graduate of Placer High School in Auburn, California.  He spent two years at Sierra Junior College in Rocklin, followed by two years at the University of California, San Diego and two years at the University of Nevada, Reno.  He graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology. He is in his 27th year as a clinical chemist at the Vet Med Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis. He has resided in Woodland since 1977 and has been married to his wife Kathleen for 30 years.  They have two sons, Jeffrey and Kevin, both graduates of Woodland High and the University of California, Davis.

Bud has said that: "free libraries are one of the foundations of our society, and after public education the best possible use of tax monies.  Beyond providing books and reading material, our library serves as a focal point for community interaction and learning activities.  Very few public agencies affect our community in so many positive ways as the library."

A note from Paul Miller, Woodland Public Library's Service Director: "Bud has been on the Library Board of Trustees for ten years, and for the last 3 ½ years has been doing his second stint as president. We kid him that he’s president only because he checks out so many books. He’s the best reader on the board, always getting here early before board meetings so that he has time to check out six or seven books.

He has been a strong advocate for a) increasing the percentage of the budget spent on books and other library materials, b) privacy of the records of library users, c) and staff welfare. He is very mindful of staff morale and is determined that every worker here should enjoy her job. He has also spoken often with city management and city council to make sure that the city remembers the importance and popularity of this library to local residents. He runs a good, efficient meeting—though not quite on the Matt Rexroad level. 

During his tenure as president, library use has doubled, both in terms of people walking in the door and in terms of number of items being checked out. The staff has had the wherewithal to do their jobs, and has felt highly appreciated by the library board, especially because of Bud’s attention. His strength of character gives everyone strength in rough times, and his reasonable approach to library trusteeship makes working relationships easy and pleasant.

Bud’s a great guy, and I’m so pleased that he’s getting this attention."

The Woodlander of the Month Award is co-sponsored by Woodland Mayor, David Flory; the Daily Democrat; and Yolo County Supervisors representing Woodland: Matt Rexroad (3rd dist.) and Duane Chamberlain (5th dist.)

 
Becky Robinson
April 2007 “Woodlander of the Month”

Community volunteer Becky Robinson is the first recipient of the “Woodlander of the Month” award, which recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the community.

The award is co-sponsored by Woodland Mayor, David Flory, the Daily Democrat, and Yolo County Supervisors, Matt Rexroad and Duane Chamberlain, who represent Woodland under the 3rd and 5th County Districts.

Three years ago, Ms. Robinson started a care package program, gathering items to send to our military troops serving in Iraq.  She has served as a volunteer on the city’s Green Waste Committee; and has been a mentor for many years, providing a strong role model for local youths through community organizations such as CASA, Cache Creek High School, and Yolo Life Christian Group. 

Currently, Robinson serves on the Board of Directors for the Yolo Wayfarer Mission and has recently returned from Louisiana, where she spent a week as volunteer worker helping victims of Hurricane Katrina.

“Becky Robinson is one of the many volunteers who make Woodland a better place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Supervisor Rexroad.