The Channel Islands YMCA hosted its 137th Annual Meeting and Awards at the Santa Barbara University Club on June 10. Over 80 attendees, including members, board members, staff, and community members from Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties, gathered to celebrate the YMCA's accomplishments and honor distinguished individuals.
The event commenced with an invocation from retiring Association Board Member Brian Gough. The evening's highlight was the presentation of the YMCA Golden Triangle of Distinguished Service Awards by Association Board Member James Armstrong. These awards recognized volunteers for their exceptional service across the eight branches of the Channel Islands YMCA.
Talley Farms of San Luis Obispo County received the Community Excellence Award for their generous donation of healthy produce to YMCA childcare sites during the pandemic.
"In the past year, our Ys have made significant impacts, such as teaching over 450 children to swim through our Third Grade Learn-to-Swim program, providing more than 5,000 scholarships to increase accessibility, serving over 270 youth at Noah's Anchorage, and supporting over 100 cancer survivors through our Livestrong program," said President and CEO, Margo Byrne. "These achievements are just a fraction of what we've accomplished with the support of our community and volunteers."
The 2023 Golden Triangle of Distinguished Service Award honorees included:
• Sarah Abrams: Sarah has been instrumental to the success of the Camarillo Family YMCA Annual Dancing Through the Decades fundraiser. As Board Chair, she led the Camarillo Y to meet its annual fundraising goals, setting a precedent for future success.
• Lisa Gonzalez: A San Luis Obispo YMCA board member and community supporter for over 30 years.
• Tom Nevins: A Ventura Family YMCA board member with 24 years of service. Along with his wife Colleen, Tom has been a generous, yet humble donor.
• Marsha Roberson: A dedicated leader and volunteer for the Youth & Family Services YMCA (YFS). She led the largest fundraising effort for YFS, "Reaching for Stars Gala," which raises over $100,000 for at-risk youth annually.
• Marcus Kocmur: A committed volunteer and former board chair for the Channel Islands YMCA Association. His leadership was pivotal during the pandemic and the recent merger of the San Luis Obispo YMCA into the Channel Islands YMCA Association.
The evening also celebrated staff achievements, financial development successes, and innovative programming.
