Rimsha Syed VIOLET RICHARDSON AWARD

Early College High School senior Rimsha Syed was looking for ways to give back to her community during a very untraditional time of distance learning and isolation from the Covid-19 pandemic.

What Syed found “changed the trajectory of her life,” she said. The Solano Youth Coalition was seeking out new members and Syed found a home to learn the importance of education and advocacy work. Syed was able to delve into topics ranging from environmental justice to the effects of Covid on local socioeconomic neighborhoods to equity in education.

“Being a part of SYC meant that I had a platform to advocate for those who did not have the means to do so for themselves,” Syed wrote in her application to Soroptimist International of Central Solano County. “It has not only been tremendously rewarding volunteering and doing advocacy work but it has become a second home to me.”

For her work, Syed has been awarded the Violet Richardson Award. This award goes to 14- to 18-year-old women each year who display the best in volunteerism. The award honors young women who work to make the community and world a better place.

“I’m confident in what I do, but I didn’t expect this,” Syed said of winning the award. “I didn’t realize it was for all Solano County. It’s an awesome opportunity to show the community what I do and the organization that I am a part of.”

The Solano Youth Coalition tackles a variety of issues through its four committees: Tobacco, Mental Health, Family Justice, and Social Justice and Racial Equity. Syed has been a member of the Social Justice and Racial Equity Committee for two years where she was in charge of directing the committee and its agendas.

“I am proud of the equity program,” she said by telephone. “It was my first encounter in seeing how the education system works. We were discussing and collaborating with school administrators and principals. We talked about our experiences and how to be more equitable. They were listening to us about how to make things more equitable. It was empowering.”

Syed presented the committee’s presentation on allyship in the classrooms and at youth summits in Solano County. She volunteered at the Solano County Art Showcase to help raise awareness about different issues affecting the community. Syed also helped create a podcast where the committee researched issues like the disparities in access to health care among neighborhoods with a lower socioeconomic status.

Syed joined the Mental Health Committee this year and presented at a youth conference in Anaheim. The presentation addressed stress, anxiety and the effects of healthy and unhealthy choices on mental health. The team also created a public safety announcement about youth dealing with mental health issues and shared their insights with the coalition.

“I just thought it would be a cool way to give back to my community during the pandemic,” she said of finding the Solano Youth Coalition. “I signed a Google form, went through the interview process and they selected me.”

Syed knows her volunteer work will serve her well moving forward. She hopes to go to college and become a sports medicine physician for teams in the NBA or NFL. Working in collaboration with others for the betterment of life for her fellow students has served as a great stepping stone.

What Candy Pierce thought would be six months of service as the executive director of CASA of Solano County has quickly become 13 years.

CASA is the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. Its mission is to ensure each abused and neglected child under the protection of the court has a consistent, caring adult volunteer who helps them reach their full potential.

Once Pierce was in, she was hooked.

“It’s about the fact that we have people that step up and take on a very difficult task,” Pierce said. “Helping children get foster care. Seeing them change their trajectory. The changes you see in the youth is sometimes incredible.”

Pierce has been honored with the Ruby Award for 2022-23 by Soroptimist International of Central Solano County. The Ruby Award is named after Soroptimist’s founding president, Ruby Lee Minar.

The ruby is also a deep red gemstone associated with wisdom, importance, vitality, strength, vivacity, power and love, all words embodying the strong and compassionate women who are award recipients each year around the world.