Seventeen men and 17 women, who are in the running to be named the community’s top volunteers, gathered at the Canyon Theatre Guild Wednesday evening for the 2024 Santa Clarita Valley Man and Woman of the Year Nominee Presentation Party.
The honorees lived up to the glitz and glamor and posed for their pictures as they await hearing the winner of each respective category in May.
Created by the late Cheri Fleming, according to an SCV Man & Woman of the Year Committee press release, the presentation party is designed for the honorees to meet the media and judges prior to the 2024 Recognition Dinner on May 3.
Nominated by their nonprofit organization, these volunteers have dedicated “their time, talent and treasure to the nominating charity, but have demonstrated a dedication to community service over many years,” according to the press release.
Created in 1964 by the SCV Chamber of Commerce, the committee is now an independent nonprofit comprised of past honorees.
2023 Man of the Year Don Kimball and 2023 Woman of the Year Jenny Ketchepaw will emcee and host May’s event.
Ketchepaw discussed how honorable it was to be selected in 2023, as she and Kimball plan to pass the baton.
“It’s such a tremendous honor because it’s all your service in the community, in a place that we love and care so much about, and trying to make a positive impact,” Ketchepaw said. “To be nominated, it’s such an honor in and of itself. Somebody values all the work that you put in.”
The record-high number of volunteers this year showcases the nominees’ dedication to the community as it continues to grow.
“This year is one of the highest, if not the highest, number of nominees,” Kimball said.
“Just to see that level of recognition and the caliber of nominees makes me really happy,” Ketchepaw said.
Despite the high number of honorees, Kimball recognizes how much dedication volunteering requires.
“I think it speaks volumes to this valley that so many people step up to make Santa Clarita an amazing place to live and raise a family,” Kimball said. “It takes people, it takes sweat equity to do that. It’s more than buildings and bricks and whatnot. It takes the people that step up.”
Ketchepaw and Kimball understand that volunteering in the community is not just for themselves and their organizations, but for their families of generations to come.
As the night progressed, they were interested in learning about the stories of the nominees, as the trend of supporting the community grows yearly.
“This is investing in our home and our future for our kids and our grandkids,” Ketchepaw said. “I’m excited to hear all the nominees’ stories tonight. They’re all going to be introduced by the nonprofits that nominated them, so to hear their story, to hear their value, I’m very excited for that.”
Kimball added to Ketchepaw’s excitement in learning more about the honorees.
“These people get up and have amazing stories to tell, and none of these people here are doing this to get any special recognition,” Kimball said. “They’re all winners by just being nominated. They’re all winners for what they do.”
“It’s been fun,” Ketchepaw said.
The nominees for 2024 Man of the Year include:
- Lloyd Carder
- Steve Corn
- Dale Donohue
- Michael Fisher
- Jason Gibbs
- Alex Hafizi
- Guy Horanberg
- Taylor Kellstrom
- John Knight
- Michael Mazzetti
- Randy Moberg
- Brad Peach
- Steve Snow
- Dennis Sugasawara
- Ron Vanvoorhis
- Dennis Verner
- Marc Winger
The nominees for 2024 Woman of the Year include:
- Julie Benson Krumrine
- Renee Berlin
- Teresa Ciardi
- Shelby Elrashidy
- Jackie Hartman
- Carolina Orozco Hernandez
- Debbie Holbrook
- Laura Kirchhoff
- Kim Kurowski
- Mitzi Like
- Meredith McGowan
- Nicole Miller
- Laura Peach
- Pamela Ripling
- Elizabeth Seipel
- Maria Slotsve
- Pamela Verner
The nominating organizations include:
- American Cancer Society
- Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clarita Valley
- Carousel Ranch
- Child & Family Center
- Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
- Circle of Hope
- College of the Canyons Foundation
- Exclusively First Responders
- Fostering Youth Independence
- Hanks Legacy Foundation
- Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation
- JCT Santa Clarita
- Max Relief Foundation
- Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
- Rotary Club of Santa Clarita Valley
- Salvation Army SCV Corps
- Samuel Dixon Family Health Center
- Santa Clarita Organization for Planning & the Environment
- Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society
- SCV Senior Center
- SCVTV
- Single Mothers Outreach
- Soroptimist International of Greater Santa Clarita Valley
- Special Olympics Southern California
- Valley Industry Association Education Foundation
- WiSH Education Foundation
- Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley
