Press release as follows:
Nominations are open for the 2026 Davis Citizen of the Year Award and the 2025 Brinley Community Volunteer Award (for outstanding service in a particular endeavor). Nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2026. Nomination process information and forms can be found at the community awards website at: www.daviscommunityawards.org
“If you know someone highly deserving of one of these awards, please take the time to nominate that individual,” said Kate Bowen, who chairs the nomination and selection process. “So many people work hard to make a difference in our community.”
A committee of residents, representing various activities in Davis, will then select the recipients. The awards will be presented at the March 3 City Council meeting.
Citizen of the Year Award
The Citizen of the Year Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service to the community, over time, in a number of areas. Criteria for selection are the following:
- Leadership in civic activities
- Unselfish service to the community
- Reliability in following through on commitments
- Involvement in a variety of activities
Rose Choelewinski was the 2025 Citizen of the Year for her longtime community volunteer work. She is a founding member of the breast cancer awareness group and nonprofit Thriving Pink. Cholewinski helped oversee the 2018 merger of Yolo Hospice and YoloCares, a local nonprofit hospice organization, and serves as a board member. She has also served in leadership roles in the Davis Sunrise Rotary and the Davis Chamber of Commerce.
Brinley Community Volunteer Award
The Brinley Community Volunteer Award was established by John W. Brinley in 1969 in honor of his father, Samuel Brinley. This award recognizes outstanding service in a particular area, such as in the arts, education or health, or in a major project that benefits the city. Last year’s Brinley Award winner was Peggy Smith for her contributions to the Central Park Gardens. Smith co-founded Central Park Gardens in 2006 and continues to be involved with the project today. She was a steering committee member during the initial establishment of the garden (2006-2016), a Board Member (2017-present) and co-led every major phase of the garden’s development.
How to nominate
Nomination process information and forms and a list of previous winners can be found at the website at: www.daviscommunityawards.org
After submitting a nomination form, the nominator will receive letter guidelines by email.
Nomination letters should be no longer than two pages and should include the following:
- The name of the nominee and a brief explanation of why the nominee should receive the award (e.g., describing the nominee’s leadership ability and dedication to the community)
- A list of the nominee’s activities and services to illustrate why the honor is deserved, including dates and the names/contact information of individuals at the organizations served
- A list of offices held, including dates
- The name, phone and email address of the person making the nomination. The letter will not be accepted without this contact information.
After listing the activities of the nominee, the nominator may include carefully selected quotes (not letters) from individuals who know the nominee in various capacities (if space within the two-page nomination letter permits).
Only one complete set of nomination papers will be used for each nominee in the selection process. If multiple letters are submitted for a candidate, the writers of extra letters will be referred to the person submitting the strongest letter, and that person can accommodate any new points and resubmit the application.
Nomination letters should be submitted to Kate Bowen, chair of the Community Awards Steering Committee. Nominators should email their letters as attachments to daviscommunityawards@gmail.com. Alternatively, you may mail them to Kate Bowen at: 3492 Oyster Bay Ave., Davis, CA 95616. All nominations must be received by 5 p.m., Jan. 31.
If you are uncertain about any aspect of the process, contact former committee chair Judy Wydick at jjwydick@dcn.org. She will be happy to send you copies of well-written nomination letters as guides and/or make suggestions for how to strengthen your letter.
