Service Above Self Top Honor Goes to Ruth Rafello: Coastside Volunteer of the Year

. In front of an enthusiastic crowd of almost 200 guests at the Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay’s annual fundraiser Magic of the Coastside, Ruth Rafello was recognized as the 2016 recipient of the Service Above Self Award. She received the top honor and was recognized along with her fellow finalists Avis Boutell, Bill Mahar, and Erin Tormey for their outstanding volunteer contributions to the Coastside. 2016 marks the fifth year for this award. The Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay started this tradition to honor the Rotary ideal of Service Above Self, and actively seeks nominations from the local nonprofit community at large. She received this award modestly, thanking others who have worked with her and supported her over the years.

Ruth Rafello has been a leader in the Coastside community for 54 years and has contributed in countless ways – as a volunteer, a kindergarten teacher in local schools, an organizer and fundraiser, and a mentor and inspiration to hundreds of people throughout the years.

The list of Ruth’s volunteer work is long, but four primary organizations have been her life’s work as a nonprofit organization leader. First, she is best known for founding, leading, and guiding the Half Moon Bay branch of the American Association of University Women. An advocate for girls and women to have the opportunities to learn and to advance in their fields of choice, her fundraising leadership has provided scholarships and Stanford Tech Trek Camp attendance for local girls. Through the years, she’s identified and led initiatives in a diverse number of areas that show her passion and commitment to needs in the Coastside community. Examples include establishing a bike route between Montara and Half Moon Bay, setting up a recyclying center in Princeton, providing food to farm workers during tough seasons, and giving baskets to families in need at Christmas (which became the basis for Coastside Hope’s Adopt a Family program – also chaired by Ms. Rafello for 15 years).

Ruth served on the Board of Coastside Hope for 19 years, serving the working poor of the Coastside community. Her fundraising and budget management skills helped this organization build Adopt a Family into a major ongoing initiative and to establish college scholarships. Ruth was not just an administrator but an active volunteer, picking up wrapping paper, working in the warehouse, and filling in needs to get the job done.

Ms. Rafello’s volunteer efforts started early in life. As a young mother in 1962, the put her fundraising skills to work to help the Coastside Parents’ Nursery School raise funds to pay teachers and maintain the farmhouse which served as the school. She eventually became President of the Board, and under her tenure the school was able to buy a building at Grandview Terrace. Finally, she has also served as Chair of the Teacher Grant Committee of the California Retired Teachers Association. This committee approves grants from San Mateo County teachers emphasizing manual arts, field trips, and student enrichment programs. As a career kindergarten teacher, her commitment to fellow teachers and the students they serve is a continuing thread in her volunteer work.

The Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay is one of 34,000 clubs around the world and is proud to be a supporter of the Purple Heart Anglers. Rotary International’s signature cause is the eradication of polio, and the end is in sight with just two countries in the world with endemic cases. The Half Moon Bay Club meets each Thursday for lunch at the Portuguese Center at 724 Kelly Street in downtown Half Moon Bay.

Contact Mary Corcoran, Public Relations Chairperson, at mcorcoranhmb@gmail.com or 650-218-0436.