30
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD
YOLANDA RODRIGUEZ, VICE CHAIR, COMMUNITCATIONS COMMITTEE
The CSMFO Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes outstanding volunteers for going above and beyond the call of duty for the benefit of the CSMFO members. In 2020, the year of the pandemic, CSMFO leadership was especially challenged with the pivot to exclusively online content delivery to our members. Whether it be for our upcoming annual conference, our Career Development classes or our local chapter meetings.
In the virtual event aspect, Debbie has moved forward with procuring speakers and trying to gather CSMFO members together for relevant sessions during the pandemic. The Inland Empire Chapter was an early adopter of the Zoom breakout room feature, allowing for more efficient member networking in a smaller group setting.
This was an especially challenging year for our local chapters, which are at the core of CSMFO’s member engagement. However, our chapter leadership rose to the occasion, effectively mastering Zoom for chapter meetings, and in many cases using Zoom breakout rooms to better allow for networking and small group discussion.
2021 CSMFO CONFERENCE | ANNUAL CONFERENCE MAGAZINE
The CSMFO 2020 Volunteer of the Year Award is being awarded to Debbie Rosales, from the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, Chapter Chair for the Inland Empire Chapter, AND, Kim Scott from the City of Victorville, Chapter Chair for the Desert Mountain Chapter.
Kim Scott has actively participated in CSMFO leadership since becoming the Chapter Chair for the Desert Mountain Chapter. In addition to her chapter chair duties, Kim is amongst our most active chapter chairs, regularly contributing at board meetings and in our annual strategic planning sessions. Kim has taken charge of a chapter which had been largely inactive for several years but now holds regular chapter meetings, albeit remotely these days. She is highly enthusiastic and embodies a spirit of service to others which is inspiring and contagious. How did it feel to be on a live zoom call and hearing the news that you were being recognized as Volunteer of the Year?
Debbie Rosales had relocated to the Channel Counties Chapter area yet continued to lead the Inland Empire Chapter for the better part of two years until such time as an orderly transition of chapter leadership could occur.
Debbie: To say that I was blown away is an understatement. I was told that the Executive Board Committee wanted to get some feedback from a couple of Chapter Chairs so I think I even had some notes prepared to share at the meeting (even though I had no idea what they were looking for). When the Volunteer of The Year was mentioned I wanted to jump up and dance and cry with joy all at the same time. I love volunteering for CSMFO and was so humbled to know that my efforts had been noticed. Honestly, to know that I was even
