On September 23rd, our community gathered for a joyous evening of appreciation, celebration, and connection. After a welcome reel highlighting our chapter’s work this year and some friendly mingling in breakout rooms, our chair Olga Bolotina and director Virginia Reinhart kicked off the evening. We welcomed a series of speakers to introduce each of our honorees, including our chapter organizers Melissa Yu and Jacob Klein, Sierra Club attorney Aaron Isherwood, and our chapter’s vice chair Chance Cutrano.
The awards were presented to each of our inspiring honorees: Richmond City Councilmember Eduardo Martinez, Berkeley City Councilmember Kate Harrison, long-time Sierra Club activist Bruce Hamilton, and the youth-led Sunrise Movement Bay Area, with Megan Nguyen accepting for their organization. We are incredibly grateful for their dedicated work towards the environmental and social justice movements, and we were delighted to celebrate their achievements as a community.
After our awardees’ moving and insightful speeches, we continued the fun with an exciting round of SF Bay Chapter-specific trivia, and five knowledgeable attendees received Sierra Club swag, including a fleece, water bottle, tote bag, and more. The evening concluded with a cocktail reception, allowing guests to intermingle between rooms and ignite conversations.
We appreciate all of our members and supporters who joined us in community and whose attendance directly supported the ongoing work of our chapter. A huge thank you to our sponsors listed below for their generous funding, our speakers and honorees for their impactful words, and our staff and volunteers who helped put on a wonderful event. If you were unable to join us for this event, you can still support the work of the chapter by making a gift here.
