[New post] Meg Sheldon and ‘Friends’ provide valuable resources for rural Yolo | ‘Yolo County Heroes’ nominee
Carlos Guerrero posted: "While every town and county has many people considered a hero, a definition and person can be hard to pin down. Among the thousands living in Woodland and Yolo County, there is luckily no shortage of civic leaders, public workers and regular everyday p" Daily Democrat
While every town and county has many people considered a hero, a definition and person can be hard to pin down.
Among the thousands living in Woodland and Yolo County, there is luckily no shortage of civic leaders, public workers and regular everyday people seen by those in their community as matching potential criteria for a hero.
To highlight these outstanding individuals, The Woodland Daily Democrat, in a joint project with a dozen other north state newspapers that are part of the California Newspaper Partnership, asked its readers to nominate someone they know and admire to be the first "Yolo County Hero."
The everyday heroics of people doing extraordinary things behind the scenes have always been a big part of what makes Yolo County such a special place to live.
We think it's past time more of these "hometown heroes" got their due and continue our series with the fourth nominee, Yolo's Meg Sheldon.
"I'm thrilled to be nominated, but also a little embarrassed and uncomfortable, mostly because nothing that I have done, I have done by myself," Sheldon said. "I'm working as a part of a much bigger group. Doing something for my community and working with so many wonderful people is the thrill for me. I have met scores of well-intended people who care about their community and want to do something good. They enjoy being involved, and for me, meeting them is so rich and rewarding."
With the area of Yolo being one of the county's smaller and most rural places, a robust library can be hard to come by. As such, families and residents would have to opt for the short but sometimes inconvenient or impractical trip to Woodland, Davis or Knights Landing.
Luckily for the Yolo community, the tireless work of Sheldon, along with the Friends of the Yolo Branch Library, has beard fruit in the form of a new beautiful Yolo Branch Library for local youth.
The Friends of the Yolo Branch Library is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed to support the Yolo Branch Library's service to the communities of Dunnigan, Yolo, Zamora and the surrounding rural areas. The group works with the Yolo Branch Library staff to understand the communities' needs, develop services to meet those needs and build community engagement.
"Meg Sheldon is a warm, compassionate and respectful human being," stated Heidi Gonzalez-Difuntorum, who has known Sheldon for nearly 40 years. "She treats everyone she meets with grace and kindness. She is a person who fulfills her commitments and completes those commitments at the highest standard possible. She is a person who tends to be a leader in a quiet, unassuming manner."
After growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then later Reno, Nevada, Sheldon arrived in Yolo County in 1980 after getting a job in employment training. In 1985, she worked her way up to the director of social services, a role she had until 2000. Now retired, Sheldon settled in Yolo but still works as hard as ever due to her role with the Friends of the Yolo Branch Library.
"I have always believed in giving back to my community," Sheldon said. "I guess I got that growing up. It feels right, good and worthwhile. I like being busy and doing something useful and meaningful. Every job I have had has been related to human services and the welfare of people."
In 2012, six of the seven libraries in the Yolo County Library web, including Davis, Esparto, Knights Landing, Winters, and others, had a 'Friends of' group.
Sheldon and a few others decided to change that. In February 2013, following months of planning and organizing, it finally came together, and the Yolo Branch Library's' Friends of' group was formed.
"Some of the 'Friends' groups have a broader focus, but ours is specific to just the Yolo Branch Library," Sheldon said. "We focus on raising funds and support for the library in any way we can."
The Yolo Branch Library is located at 37750 Sacramento St, Yolo. The new building opened in December 2022. (Carlos Guerrero/Daily Democrat)
The spectacular 4,000-square-foot facility, located at 37750 Sacramento St., hosts welcoming spaces for children, teens and adults, and boasts a large community room, quiet areas, study rooms, free Wi-Fi, public use computers and a network copier and printer.
In addition, there is also an updated collection of library materials in both English and Spanish for junior and young adults, ADA-accessible buildings and a covered outdoor area featuring a fantastic and colorful mural.
"I just love the library out here," Sheldon said. "It means so much to people here in Yolo. I hear stories all the time about people appreciating how well it was put together and how it reminds them of the old library they enjoyed as children. They are pleased it feels 'homey' and is in the center of the community like a living room.
"It's critical for Yolo to have a resource like the library, especially for children," Sheldon continued. "Children come after school, on Saturdays, and over the summer. With no bus service to Woodland, I don't think they'd be able to go to a library as regularly."
Another way Sheldon and 'Friends' have brought in awareness and the funds for library improvements has been by sponsoring and volunteering for one of the area's most beloved new events, the Cruisin' into the Next Chapter Classic Car and Truck Show.
Nearly 1,000 people attended the Saturday, Aug. 26 Cruisin' into the Next Chapter Classic Car and Truck Show out in front of the Yolo Branch Library located at 37750 Sacramento St. in Yolo. (Carlos Guerrero/Daily Democrat)
Nearly 1,000 people attended the Saturday, Aug. 26 Cruisin' into the Next Chapter Classic Car and Truck Show out in front of the Yolo Branch Library located at 37750 Sacramento St. in Yolo. (Carlos Guerrero/Daily Democrat)
Originated by Susie Richter and Sue Billing, the car show has welcomed hundreds of Yolo County residents over the years to Yolo, showing attendees that the area should not be overlooked.
"It was a great idea to have the car show," Sheldon said. "Two staff members who had been the leads previously at the Yolo Branch Library were talking about things that young people in the community might find engaging and interesting. We talked about bringing some motorcycles to have them see and that soon morphed into cars and then soon it became the fundraiser it is today."
In the show's humble beginnings in 2016, over 70 cars lined the streets of Yolo. Fast forward to 2023, and hundreds of cars now line up and down Sacramento and Second Streets, along with vendors and a DJ booth.
"The show really brings people together who have roots or memories of some kind with Yolo, Zamora or Dunnigan," Sheldon said. "It really is a vehicle for bringing people together. I hear a lot of stories of people enjoying the day with their families."
While Sheldon deserves a big chunk of the recognition for organizing the event, she could not have done it without the over a dozen people on the planning team and the 70-80 volunteers just happy to help.
"We have added a lot of aspects over the years to it to make it more festive so we need all the help we can get," a grateful Sheldon said. "We talk about everything as a group and workshop how we can improve it, and then the individuals take the lead on making it happen. We pull it all together for the event."
Sheldon has lived in Yolo County for over 40 years, so she considers it her home over any other place. Along with her connection to the area being her primary motivation, it is also perhaps the biggest reason for someone to take time out of their day and nominate her to be the first "Yolo County Hero."
"This is more home to me than anywhere," Sheldon said. "In the area of Yolo where I am, I just love the sense of community here. The people care and support one another. There is a friendliness to it and comfort in being someplace small where people know you and you know them and you can count on one another if need be.
"It's important for people to feel cared for and not alone. It's really important that policymakers remain cognizant of how important rural communities are to the fabric of our lives here in Yolo County. It's easy to forget them because they are so small. These places really need backing from the state and county. I hope this recognition helps promote small communities and their passion and value like here in Yolo."
No comments:
Post a Comment