The Chamber’s Annual Community Recognition Dinner brings business and community leaders together to celebrate the work and honor the contributions of the sustainers and stewards of Santa Cruz.
Woman of the Year: Hilary Bryant WATCH VIDEO
Hilary Bryant brings the can-do confidence of an All-American athlete to community building. This energy is manifest in her work as a Realtor and broker associate with Karon Properties as well as her remarkable achievements with local organizations and projects. Her leadership on three projects will result in more than $100,000 in contributions to local nonprofit organizations over the past 12 months. READ MORE...
Men of the Year: Jon Sisk & Ken Whiting WATCH VIDEO
Extracurricular programs and, especially, high school athletics have been a fundamental part of the identify of American communities for a very long time. As funding for education has declined communities have stepped up to supplement the expenses of operating these programs. But finding the large sums of money necessary to rebuild the infrastructure – stadiums, pools, athletic fields – necessary to keep these programs going is a monumental challenge. READ MORE...
Organization of the Year: Deborah Elston, Mary Miller, Michael Bethke J.D. Sotelo, Kathryn Tobisch, John Davis WATCH VIDEO
Cities throughout the U.S. have come to rely upon neighborhood organizations to develop the cohesion, involvement, and community spirit necessary to build and sustain stable and sustainable neighborhoods. When effective these neighborhood groups facilitate the relationships and communications the bond neighbors together in efforts to improve and protect the quality of the community. Santa Cruz Neighbors grew out of a few of these grass-roots community groups to become to support these neighborhood associations, to encourage communication and shared efforts on common issues, and to link them together into a social and political force dedicated to building a cohesive voice for our community. READ MORE...
Business of the Year: Marshall and Kathy Miller (right) & T.J. and Marcella Moran (left) WATCH VIDEO
Prosperous communities are founded upon locally owned business, the kind that are able to reinvest in their community and are committed to its long term success. Sun Shops has grown from one store in 1971 to one of Santa Cruz’s largest retailers and most recently has joined the coveted position of a multi-generational local business. This story is interwoven in the history of Santa Cruz. READ MORE...
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This year’s recipients have thrived using the boot-strap approach to making business and community happen. From Sun Shops’, a start-up by two college-age employees of the boardwalk that has grown to be one of the largest retailers in Santa Cruz to Santa Cruz Neighbors, an organization that has joined dozen’s of neighborhood associations into a constructive, powerful force that “creates community.” Brothers-in-law Ken Whiting and Jon Sisk, whose life-long contributions Santa Cruz include spear-heading an effort to raise the $500,000 necessary to upgrade the High School pool and athletic field. And, Hilary Bryant, whose long list of local organizational successes includes the fund-raising necessary to keep the Beach Area Community Center after City funds were withdrawn.