Marin County Officials: Supervisors Appreciate County's Interns, Volunteers

Press release from the Marin County Government:

August 10, 2021

Supervisors Appreciate County’s Interns, Volunteers

Contributions provided work experience, enhanced County’s customer service

San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Board of Supervisors has honored 139 outstanding volunteers and interns who made significant impacts and completed their service in County of Marin departments.

Board members unanimously passed individual resolutions of commendation at their August 10 meeting. Honorees served in 14 County departments in a wide range of roles.

Of the total, 101 were Marinterns students who learned about public service careers in public health, law, communications, research, investigations, public safety, human resources, agriculture, finance, engineering, library services, housing, parks, sustainability, information technology, public policy, and human resources.

In the volunteer group there were 38 MarinShares honorees, including a parks trail patrol volunteer who served for 44 years, plus several volunteers active for more than two decades each at the County library, Sheriff’s Office, Cultural Services, Health and Human Services, and Public Works.

During the pandemic response, several of the Health and Human Services honorees supported COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.

Marinterns Coordinator Joy Fossett said students brought positivity and adaptability to County departments.

“Intern honorees demonstrated complete dedication to their project assignments and contributed new ideas to the County,” she said. “They were a diverse group — intelligent, talented, and devoted.”

“As a community, we are fortunate that volunteer honorees shared their time, spirit, and compassion,” said MarinShares Coordinator of Volunteers Anne Starr. “Whether helping behind the scenes or serving clients directly, they modeled service above self. Their individual perspectives, expertise, and dedication benefitted County teams and Marin residents.”

Among the volunteer resolutions, seven were awarded posthumously. “The seven volunteers who passed away in the past year made significant and lasting impacts, and we mourn their loss,” Starr said.

The MarinShares and Marinterns programs had more than 8,100 volunteers and interns serving nearly 223,000 hours across County departments, according to the most recent annual impact report[PDF].

Until the pandemic shutdown in March 2020, volunteers served in many ways, including as fire lookouts, legal interns, consumer mediators, tobacco-prevention interns, Marin Civic Center tour guides, consultants in several disciplines, Marin Center theater ushers, ombudsmen, financial abuse specialists, parks and open space volunteers, graphic designers, senior peer counselors, and more.

Since the shutdown, many roles have been temporarily suspended or are happening remotely – with the notable exceptions of Marin Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and college nursing student interns supplementing the County’s pandemic response.

The MarinShares and Marinterns programs engage a diverse group of Marin residents who share their talents and energy, enhancing the County’s service to the residents. To explore opportunities and to apply, visit www.marincountyHR.org or contact Anne Starr at (415) 473-7167 for volunteering, and Joy Fossett at (415) 473-7447 for student internships.

This press release was produced by the Marin County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.