Marin County Hails Its Volunteers & Interns

MARIN COUNTY, CA —The Marin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday proclaimed April as Volunteer and Intern Recognition Month, while recognizing three individuals and two volunteer teams involved with the 2019-2020 MarinShares & Marinterns.

Family, friends and county staff attended an online ceremony sponsored by Supervisor Katie Rice and emceed by Department of Human Resources Director Mary Hao, highlighting the programs’ 2020 honorees, whose traditional ceremony was postponed due to 2020 pandemic shelter-in-place orders.

The honorees:

• Volunteer of the Year: Maria Gregoriev of San Rafael serves with the Financial Abuse Specialist Team in the Health and Human Services Department. "Always on the lookout for scams, she is a relentless researcher and quickly shares her discoveries with FAST colleagues," coutny officials said. "Gregoriev also prepares and delivers public presentations that arm older residents with facts and tips to protect them from falling victim to fraudsters."
• Intern of the Year: Paul James “PJ” Nave Jr. of San Rafael serves with the Board of Supervisors in the District 1 office led by Supervisor Damon Connolly. "This student has a keen interest in community matters," the county said. "He supports tasks related to the Clean Marin coalition, conducts research, enters data and checks for faulty website links on the Board website, proving himself an asset to the office team."
• Outstanding Staff Supervisor of Volunteers: For her work mentoring student interns is 2020 staff honoree Social Services Unit Supervisor Chloe Cook of HHS. Cook has provided support to nursing students, while applying her experience to create learning opportunities and students’ interest in medical fields and public-health nursing, the county said.
  
  
• Intern Team of the Year: The District Attorney’s Intern Team includes students Mikael Boyer, Elliot Blum, Christopher Cullinane, Larnell France, Samantha Gatton, Matthew Hyman, Tiara Mead, Rebecca Meshel, Francesca Padilla, Mikayla Phillips, Sawyer Rasmussen, Vanessa Sibrian, and Hajra Yacoobali. "They have demonstrated extraordinary dedication while participating with almost every unit in the District Attorney’s office during their internships," staff said. "As they explore public service law careers, they conduct research, assist with case coordination, and learn about a broad spectrum of legal responsibilities."
• Volunteer Team of the Year: The Marin Civic Center Docent Team leads engaging, educational tours for elementary school pupils, local residents and international visitors. The 2019-2020 team members are James Allen, Joan Brown, Dennis Conway, Laura Griffith, Tierney Hamilton, Ted Kreines, Spencer Michels, June Miller, Adrienne Niedermann, Lynda Pearson, Noel Ryan, Joel Schwartz and Ilene Taekman. "The late Roy Fidler, a docent who passed away in July, received posthumous recognition," the county said . "In 2020, the team marked 40 years since its founding by retired volunteer program director Joan Brown, now a volunteer on the team."

Internships coordinator Joy Fossett said students able to serve during the pandemic – whether remotely or in-person with safety protocols – continue to experience practical learning and explore public service careers.

“Students still want to intern in spite of the pandemic, but, during public health shutdowns, opportunities have been temporarily limited,” Fossett said. “However, using Zoom, several County departments have been able to provide an educational internship experience for some students, and they say it is valuable.”

For details about the MarinShares and Marinterns programs, see the webpage for volunteering and internships or contact Anne Starr for volunteering and Fossett for internships.

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