TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; The Chris Ballin Award is given in recognition of those persons who advocate for cultural competency, equality and social justice in our community. Chris Ballin is remembered as the Founding and longtime director of La Comunidad Unida (The United Community) formed in response to growing racial tension on the North Shore. Ballin was an enthusiastic collaborator who had creative ideas, experience and knowledge for working with communities and those in need Betsy Dobbins has been a strong advocate of youth and children in the North Shore area regardless of cultural background. She has worked with the North Tahoe Family Resource Center and Placer County as a family support advocate, and has dedicated her professional and personal time to ensuring youths are safe, heard and connected to their communities, support services and peers.

The Partner of the Year Award is given in recognition of regional collaboration and vision for our community. This year, CCTT presented two Partner awards in recognition of an individual who has shown collaborative leadership at the Director level as well as an individual who has shown collaborative leadership at the direct service level. Glen Harelson, Health and Human Services program manager for Placer and Nevada County received the Director Level Partner of the Year Award for exhibiting vision and leadership in collaborating across county lines to improve outcomes for children, families and all community members in our region.

Jessica Linn, childrenand#8217;s program manager at Tahoe Womenand#8217;s Services, received the Direct Service Partner of the Year Award. She serves as co-chair for Communities for Kids (Tahoe Truckee Child Abuse Prevention Council) and provided leadership and success of for the counciland#8217;s spring fundraiser. In addition, she co-facilitates United For Action, a collaboration between faith based and family support organizations in the region.

The Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee is a regional collaborative comprised of more than 40 health, social service, education, and community-based organizations. Call CCTT at 530-587-1776 or visit http://www.communitycollaborative.org for further information.

and#8212; Submitted to aedgett@sierrasun.com