CommUnify Announces Honorees for the 18th Annual Champions Award Dinner at Hotel Corque in Solvang

This year’s nearly sold-out event celebrates the community impact of Geoff Green, Vikings of Solvang and Hardy Diagnostics on Friday, June 7, from 6:00 until 8:30 followed by a Disco After-Party

CommUnify (formerly CAC/Community Action Commission) is pleased to announce this year’s honorees for the 18th Annual Champions Dinner & Awards Ceremony, to be held Friday, June 7th 6:00-8:30pm at Hotel Corque, in The Craft House Restaurant Ballroom, 420 Alisal Road in Solvang. There will be a Disco After-Party from 8:30-10:00pm and complimentary roundtrip bus transportation from Santa Barbara to Solvang provided by Santa Barbara Airbus. Free onsite parking is also available.

This enduring event recognizes and celebrates the many contributions of the individuals, businesses, and organizations that are local “champions”, and whose dedication to our community’s well-being has made Santa Barbara County a better place for all of its residents. Funds raised from the dinner will support the 7 programs in CommUnify’s Family & Youth Services division.

“We are so pleased with this year’s group of Champions!” said Patricia Keelean, Chief Executive Officer for CommUnify. Geoff Green is a key figure in the local nonprofit landscape, generous with his time, advice, and network. More importantly, thousands of Santa Barbara County high school students can now achieve their dreams of obtaining a higher education degree because of his success in creating the SBCC Promise initiative, which subsequently inspired Allan Hancock to do the same. The efforts of The Vikings of Solvang have gone unrecognized for far too long! We are happy to highlight the important financial support the Vikings have provided for the last 50 years to our county’s residents who have medically related needs, not to mention the wonderful events they host in the Santa Ynez Valley which help families of children who have disabilities. And finally, we celebrate the employees and leadership team of Santa Maria’s Hardy Diagnostics who donate time and money—1% of their net profits each year—to local charities. Hardy Diagnostics was one of the unsung heroes during the early days of the Covid pandemic, ensuring that our county hospitals, clinics, and key medical personnel had the PPE materials they needed.”

The event’s Master of Ceremonies and Auctioneer for the evening is Andrew Firestone. There will be a Live Auction featuring six fantastic items, and a Paddle Raise, along with the medallion award ceremony for this newest cohort of CommUnify Champions.

Limited individual tickets are still available; please use the QR code to the right or visit www.CommUnifySB.org/ChampionsDinner2023. For a complete description of CommUnify’s programs and services please visit www.CommUnifySB.org. Please contact Joni Kelly at CommUnify by calling 805-886-1869 or via email jkelly@CommUnifySB.org to RSVP or for more information about CommUnify’s Champions Dinner and Awards, to arrange interviews with our staff and honorees, or to request high resolution images or broadcast quality B-roll.

Our 2024 Award Recipient

Geoff Green has been a leader in the nonprofit community for 25+ years, both in Santa Barbara County and beyond. A former Yosemite National Park ranger/naturalist, Geoff has served as CEO of the Santa Barbara City College Foundation, The Fund for Santa Barbara, and is currently CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits. Geoff led SBCC Promise initiative, making access to
higher education tuition-free, and therefore possible for thousands of local high school graduates.
https://calnonprofits.org/

Vikings of Solvang
Celebrating 50 years of service to the Santa Ynez Valley community, this 200+ member local volunteer organization provides financial support to individuals with medically related needs. The Vikings participate in numerous activities supporting their community, and raise funds through
fun, family-oriented events such as their annual Kids Christmas Party, car show and golf tournament. They also bring joy to children with disabilities at their annual Kids’ Christmas Party.
https://www.vikingsofsolvang.org/

Hardy Diagnostics, founded by Jay Hardy and based in Santa Maria, is a 100% Employee-owned company committed to producing and distributing products that aid in the detection of microorganisms, to diagnose and prevent disease. Hardy Diagnostics not only donates 1% of its earnings to local charities through its employee driven Community Action Committee, but its employees volunteer their time on behalf of numerous local nonprofit organizations. https://hardydiagnostics.com/