CHICO, Calif. — Five Northern California women will be honored for their extraordinary contributions to agriculture and their communities during the 2019 Common Threads North Award dinner to be held at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico on April 4, 2019.
All recipients have deep roots in agriculture, and each has demonstrated a history of service to agriculture and her community through volunteerism and philanthropy.
Receiving awards will be Kathy Chance of Butte County, Patty Merwin of Yolo County, Edele Norman of San Joaquin County, Judith Redmond of Yolo County, and Cherie Stephens of Sutter County.
The event will be held at Butte Creek Country Club on Thursday, April 4, 2019, beginning with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and awards at 6 p.m. Tickets are $55 each. For tickets or sponsorship information, contact the Butte Agriculture Foundation at 530-533-1473 or visit www.CommonThreadsNorth.com
Common Threads is an annual award coordinated cooperatively by the following organizations; California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, California Women in Agriculture, the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, Center for Land-Based Learning, nine county Farm Bureaus, several resource conservation districts, California State University, Chico and the University of California, Davis.
The Recipients:
Kathy Chance – Butte County
Kathy has spent the majority of her adult career as a volunteer advocate for Butte County Agriculture. Her list of philanthropic organizations, events and purposes is long and includes the Butte Ag Foundation, of which she is a founding director, the California Nut Festival, which she chairs, and the Butte County Water Commission, where she represents farms and ag land owners in decisions regarding the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. When she is not an agriculture education cheerleader, she is a small business owner alongside her husband in farming, real estate and storage.
Patty Merwin – Yolo County
An active participant in her family’s farming operation, Merwin is also a dedicated community servant. She recently retired from more than thirty years of service as a polling place worker for the Yolo County elections department, and she remains very active in the Clarksburg Community Church, Lady’s Fellowship, and Clarksburg Garden Club. The Clarksburg Community Church is the center of service in the community, and Merwin has served on the Church Council for more than 40 years. She has also served as Sunday school teacher, youth group leader, and choir member, and she happily volunteers for every church activity.
Edele Norman – San Joaquin County
A lifelong agricultural advocate, Norman has been active within her community both inside and outside of agriculture. She is a charter member of the San Joaquin County chapter of California Women for Agriculture. She has served as president, treasurer, scholarship chairman, area director, and state convention chairman. She volunteered for many years with both the Ripon 4-H Club and Ripon Future Farmers of America. She is also very active in St. Patrick’s Catholic Church where she is a member of the Altar Society.
Judith Redmond – Yolo County
As a founding partner in Full Belly Farms in the Capay Valley, Redmond is a nationally recognized leader in the organic farming community. Through the Hoes Down Harvest Festival and other community events, Redmond and her partners promote agricultural literacy and awareness to thousands of enthusiastic community members each year. Redmond has served on numerous state and local advisory boards, and she speaks regularly about the role of sustainable agriculture in meeting food security and climate challenges.
Cherie Stephens – Sutter County
Stephens owns and operates Stephens Farmhouse farm stand and bakery on Highway 99. She is a well-rounded philanthropist, giving thousands of dollars and countless hours to helping the greater good within her community. She is a member of her local Soroptimist chapter, started Sutter County’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s, served on the California State Fair Ag Advisory Committee, and volunteered as a director on the California Prune Festival. Stephens has launched a number of creative and successful programs, from Law Enforcement Pie Day that raises money for various charities, to Kids in the Kitchen, which instills a love of food and farming in local youth.
–Common Threads North
Butte Agriculture Foundation, Inc.
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