Congrats To Jeni Olsen, Local Humanitarian and Volunteer to Numerous Local Causes!

NORTH BAY, CA – Napa resident Jeni Olsen was recently honored with a community champion award by Assemblymember Bill Dodd for her passion and dedication to volunteerism and humanitarian work.

Olsen is the owner of an award winning graphic design studio in Napa, a mother of two teenage boys, and in her spare time leads a large variety of volunteer efforts both locally and globally from Napa to Haiti.

“It’s an honor to be recognized as a community champion by Assemblymember Dodd," Olsen said. “My humanitarian work has been a labor of love, and I look forward to continuing to work with Napa youth to make a difference in our community.”

Olsen was first introduced to volunteerism by her parents who instilled the importance of giving back to the community at an early age. In 2012 Jeni started a Napa Valley chapter of Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots organization, a non-profit that empowers young people to create community-based solutions to social challenges.

This effort led to a partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa Valley and ultimately created a new umbrella project between organizations called “Be The Change,” which will provide a broader base for youth volunteerism in the Napa Valley.

“It’s people like Jeni Olsen that represent the very best of Napa County. She is the definition of a community champion,” said Dodd. “Her selfless service and tireless work in engaging local youth proves that one person truly can make a difference.”

In recent years, Jeni led a coalition of local schools, businesses, and volunteers to collect more than 10,000 pairs of shoes to be donated to the Soles4Souls organization.

In response to the Valley Fire, she held a coat distribution in Middletown and gave over 1000 new coats to people who’d lost their homes in Lake County, also through Soles4Souls.

As a member of Leadership Napa Valley, Class 29, her team created the “Homeless of Napa” project which provided much needed services to the homeless population in Napa.

She has also taken part in several humanitarian missions to Haiti, Honduras, and across the globe.

Last year – proving that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – Jeni’s son, Max Olsen, was recognized as the “Youth Volunteer of the Year” during the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership’s first annual Heart of Napa Awards.

--Image courtesy of Assemblymember Bill Dodd, who represents the 4th Assembly District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Solano, Yolo and Colusa Counties. You can learn more about the district at www.asm.ca.gov/dodd.

Also see:

• Volunteer Opportunity
• Cindy Pawlcyn Feted and $2.2 Million Raised at Generous Heart Event for Queen of the Valley Gasser Emergency Center

--Image courtesy of Dodd's office