Body of News Release
San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Board of Supervisors celebrated volunteer service and intern participation at a June 6 ceremony, lauding the County of Marin’s 2023-2024 Volunteers of the Year, Interns of the Year, and Teams of the Year. Two Staff Supervisors of the Year were honored during a special Board session for their excellent mentoring of interns and volunteers.
Formal resolutions of commendation and awards were presented to the MarinShares and Marinterns honorees. Board President Dennis Rodoni presided, and Human Resources Director Christina Cramer emceed.
The Honorees
Two people share the 2023-2024 Volunteer of the Year award. Eleanor Lau and Ed Remitz serve with the Marin County Human Resources Department. They contribute to the maintenance and improvement of MarinfoNOW, a monthly e-newsletter by and for County volunteers and interns. Eleanor has dramatically improved the appearance and legibility of the publication, and Ed has increased the quality of its textual contents.
Eleanor provides consultation on design and graphic elements, contributing typography expertise, proofreading, research, and consultation. She also designs the MarinShares and Marinterns annual impact report and does one-off projects, utilizing careful construction, attention to detail, and creativity.
Ed supports the quality of MarinfoNOW content as a volunteer writing coach to interns who write and edit the newsletter. Drawing on his professional background as a retired journalism professor, he teaches interns about writing while promoting appreciation for civics and freedom of the press.
Thanks to Eleanor and Ed’s support, more County volunteers and interns can be featured in publications. Meanwhile, editing internships have been added, enhancing communications-related learning.
There was a tie for Intern of the Year: Samuel Lee, who is active with the Board of Supervisors, and Christina Pathoumthong of the District Attorney’s Office.
Samuel serves in Supervisor Katie Rice’s District 2 office, collaborating with the County’s Health and Human Services and Suicide Prevention Collaborative. He developed a youth wellness campaign called Find Your Way (FYW), which encourages high school students to seek help, support, and connection. Sammy chairs the FYW youth visioning team, is student co-lead of Marin 9 to 25, and is a recent member of the Suicide Prevention Collaborative Youth Action Team, advocating for youth betterment.
Christina began interning in the clerical unit of the District Attorney’s Office and quickly emerged as a reliable resource in all units, completing complex assignments efficiently. Her biggest role was learning to act as “second chair” in two high-profile cases — a complex, demanding, gang-murder trial and then a two-month jury trial involving the abuse of children. Ultimately, she helped the District Attorney’s Office seek justice for victims of violent crime. Currently, she is a Fulbright Scholar teaching English in Laos at the University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, in the capital city, Vientiane.
The 2023-2024 Volunteer Team of the Year is the Meals on Wheels Eligibility Assessors team. The group is composed of eight volunteers: Linda Garb, Bea Goop-Lott, Rob Halenbeck, Christine Martin, Kathy Norwood, Annie Silverberg, Steve Waskow, and Sandy Wilkinson. This dedicated team conducts quarterly phone and in-home re-assessments of clients in the Aging and Adult Services meal program, ensuring nutritious meals to more than 400 Marin residents aged 60-plus who are frail, homebound, or isolated. People living with disabilities also are clients.
Annie assists in the office; Linda and Kathy conduct quarterly phone assessments; Bea, Robert, and Steve conduct in-home assessments; and Christine is a floater, conducting phone and in-home assessments as needed. Sandy schedules in-home assessment appointments. They ensure the program continues to serve adults who qualify for services.
The Intern Team of the Year is from the Marin County Elections Department. Three students — Alysha Lee, Caroline Foster, and Jordan Harrosh — make up the Student Election Ambassador Liaison team. The Liaison team has a leadership role for the 40-plus student ambassadors group.
The trio has dedicated hundreds of hours to nonpartisan outreach to encourage voting among young people. They have presented to more than 700 peers and younger students in schools and at community events, and have recruited, trained, and mentored more than 75 student ambassador team members over two years.
Alysha developed a Student Town Hall event, established an Instagram presence for the program, and helps train new ambassadors. Caroline created a website training hub designed to sustain the Student Ambassador model after she graduates. She also plans to include more students who speak languages other than English. Jordan recently coordinated a registration drive that generated over 100 new voter registrations and younger-teen pre-registrations in one day. She also coordinates student ambassadors for community events. Together, the three honorees contribute to the growth of the Student Ambassador Program, inspiring young people in Marin to engage in our democracy.
Outstanding Staff Supervisor of Interns: All Marinshares students have County staff supervisors who provide orientation, support, and mentoring. For her years of work with interns and volunteers at the Public Defender’s Office, the 2023-2024 honoree is Tamara York.
While maintaining her own busy caseload, Tamara offers meaningful, hands-on experiences for college and law school interns and champions their inclusion in educational internships year-round. Tamara is attentive to students' limits and interests and ensures that assignments are practical. She conducts weekly skills training to support interns’ development and help them flourish. Tamara welcomes students of all backgrounds and helps them feel that they belong, whether seeking their thoughts on a case or inviting them to join in a staff photo.
Outstanding Volunteer Supervisor of the Year: All MarinShares volunteers have staff liaisons who provide orientation, assignments, and connection. The 2023-2024 honoree is Erica Frazier of Marin County Parks.
As lead ranger for the volunteer patrol program, Erica welcomes and supports participants who patrol parklands on horseback, mountain bikes, and as hikers. Patrol volunteers act as extra eyes and ears for park staff and generate reports. Erica checks those reports daily, letting volunteers know issues are being addressed. She recruits and interviews applicants, trains new volunteers, meets regularly with existing volunteers, and includes everyone in special projects. With her support, park patrol volunteers help preserve, protect, and enrich the natural beauty of Marin's open spaces.
Opportunities to Serve
With County volunteer assignments continuing to recover after the pandemic, most departments are fully welcoming volunteers and interns. "Participation is flourishing," said MarinShares Coordinator Anne Starr. “It is great to witness departments engaging more MarinShares volunteers as residents reconnect with their local government.”
Marinterns Coordinator Joy Fossett looks forward to summer, the busiest season for internships. “More students will be involved across the County organization because more departments are hosting students this year. It’s always exciting to welcome new interns,” Fossett said.
Contact Us
The MarinShares and Marinterns programs engage volunteers who contribute their skills and student interns who learn while exploring careers. To see current opportunities and to apply, visit the Marin County Department of Human Resources website or contact Anne Starr at (415) 473-7167 for volunteering, and Joy Fossett at (415) 473-7447 for student internships.