DeVore and Robinson Receive Honors
The Sonoma County Task Force For The Homeless honored two talented and dedicated volunteers at October in Paradise.
Michael DeVore received the Spirit of Service award for his many years providing service to homeless people. DeVore believes that “the most important thing you can do to help is to open minds”. Michael began educating the community about homeless issues through founding a local non-profit, SOME (Service, Outreach, Motivation, and Empowerment). They started with community projects, helping to construct a walk-in freezer for the Redwood Empire Food Bank, expanding Wallace House, Cloverdale’s shelter, installing a kitchen garden for Opportunity House, and a children’s playground for the Vietnam Veteran’s shelter.
This led to the establishment of SOME’s Family Connection Program, providing mentoring teams for formerly homeless families. The teams help them gain skills and confidence to remain housed and employed. Graduates of Family Connection have a 90% success rate remaining in their homes. Michael also began a computer training and recycling program that provided job training as well as protecting the environment through computer recycling. A Spirit of Service cash award is directed to a service program by the honoree. DeVore chose Community Resources for Independence to receive the $500. CRI will use the money to replenish their emergency funds to assist clients.
DeVore resigned the leadership of the Family Connection in 1996, but continued to be Executive Director until 1998. He collaborated with Community Action Partnerships-Sonoma County to develop the “Caring Communities Program” which addresses issues of chronically homeless families. When he retired from SOME, he began a new career as hospice chaplain with the Visiting Nurses Association. DeVore continues to be interested in homeless issues in Sonoma County.
Rabbi Michael Robinson received the Spirit of Community award for the work he has done since 1989 educating the community and advocating for homeless services and affordable housing. Soon after Rabbi Robinson moved to Sonoma County from upstate New York, he began leading self-esteem groups at the Family Support Center. He and his wife, Ruth, served for two and a half years as mentors to four homeless families through the Family Connection.
Robinson served for many years on the board of the Sonoma County Task Force For The Homeless, five of them as Chairman. He helped organize a sleep-in of forty cars when Santa Rosa proposed an ordinance that prohibited people from sleeping in their cars in the early 90’s, and has appeared many times before the Board of Supervisors and various City Councils when issues relating to homelessness were under consideration. He is also active in the Children’s Village, the Living Wage Coalition, Habitat for Humanity, the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center, and the Sonoma Land Trust. Robinson says “if someone is homeless, you have to help them as if there is no God”.