This year’s Rancho Cordovan of the Year is bestowed to Carrie Johnson of the Rancho Cordova Food Hub. Photo courtesy of the Rancho Cordova Food Hub

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - The Cordova Community Council will present its 26th annual Community Volunteer Awards on March 13, celebrating individuals and organizations whose service has strengthened Rancho Cordova.

The public event carries the theme “March Volunteer Madness,” part of a different theme selected each year to spotlight the spirit of service in Rancho Cordova. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. at Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive. Tickets are $30, and a no-host bar will be available.

“This year we are building our recognition around the theme “March Volunteer Madness” building upon all the excitement, teamwork and quest for excellence witnessed on the basketball court every March,” said Cordova Community Council Executive Director Shelly Blanchard. “That same drive exemplifies the community effort that is exhibited by the best of the best of the volunteer spirit.”

In a statement, the council congratulated the 2026 honorees and announced this year’s Rancho Cordovan of the Year, Carrie Johnson of the Rancho Cordova Food Hub.

“Our community is lucky to have such amazing people and organizations,” the council said in a statement. “We get to honor a handful of them on March 13, at our Community Volunteer Awards.”

The prestigious Rancho Cordovan of the Year award recognizes exceptional contributions made either during the past year or over a lifetime of service. Johnson will serve as grand marshal of Rancho Cordova’s Fourth of July Parade and will light the tree at the city’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting celebration.

Other 2026 award recipients include Chick-fil-A Rivergate as Distinguished Community Business Partner; Rick Sloan as Distinguished Community Service Individual; Cordova High’s Velo Lancers as Distinguished Community Service Organization; Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Sacramento for Distinguished Service by a Faith Community; Cassie and Alex Reyes for Outstanding Service to Youth; Tallie Wood-Miller for the “Couldn’t Have Done It Without You” award; and Judy Ho as Neighborhood Champion.

“The Community Volunteer Awards are always a showcase of the finest volunteer efforts, large and small, that lift up Rancho Cordova,” said Blanchard. “From a longtime resident who has manned the critical turn at our Rancho Cordova Fourth of July Parade to transformational leadership that is changing the way we feed the hungry, the Community Volunteer Awards delivers stories that elevate us all. Come, and be inspired.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cordovacouncil.org.