The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ Education Department was honored with a service award from the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women during a supervisors meeting on Nov. 7.
The Commission for Women works to recognize organizations that help shape Santa Barbara County, particularly those that advocate for women in need, according to a Chumash press release. The commission’s service awards are distributed annually to honor and celebrate the achievements of organizations that demonstrate profound commitment and service to Santa Barbara County’s communities.
Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann and commissioners Tracy Beard and Karen Steinwachs presented the service award to Chumash Education Director Niki Sandoval, who also sits on the State Board of Education and represented her department at the meeting.
“In partnership with local teachers, administrators, and community-based organizations, we are fostering learning environments where young women can see themselves as leaders,” Sandoval said in the release. “Education and lifelong learning, grounded in a strong sense of cultural identity and commitment to serving others, changes lives in profound ways.”
The award highlighted the Chumash Education Department’s mission to “embrace children and families from birth through adulthood by supporting kindergarten readiness, educational attainment, and career transitions.”
Other recipients of the Commission for Women service awards were Future Leaders of America, AHA!, Santa Maria High School’s Sara Araujo, and Santa Barbara County Promotores Network.
“We are so grateful to members of the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women,” Sandoval said in the release. “By shining a light on the struggles and the successes women experience, we are better preparing tomorrow’s leaders.”
This article appears in Nov 30 – Dec 7, 2017.