Tahoe Truckee Community Partners Recognized for Outstanding Community Service

The Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee (CCTT), a program of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, is honored to recognize Sedena Paniagua, Felicity Beallo, and Jazmin Breaux for their outstanding service to the Tahoe Truckee community.

The CCTT is a partnership of nonprofit and public organizations working together to address the fundamental needs of families in the Tahoe Truckee Region. The Collaborative is made up of more than 45 health, social service, education and community-based organizations who collaborate, network, and work together to maximize resources for children, families and seniors. Since 2007, the Collaborative has annually recognized the work of local advocates, who work behind the scenes to create a supportive community. 

On December 6, 2021, CCTT announced its annual award winners in three categories: The Chris Ballin Award, Public Service Award of Excellence, and Partner of the Year. 

Sedena Paniagua, Membership Services and Front Desk Coordinator of the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, was presented the Public Service Award of Excellence for being a stand-out individual who has gone above and beyond in her daily work with clients.  Over the past year and half, she collaborated with community partners to ensure that essential workers, and those who needed it most, had a place in the Boys and Girls Club’s limited child care program. Sedena is a strong community partner who connects community members to vital programs and services whenever possible and is recognized for her ability to comfort families during a time of daily health checks and great uncertainty.

Felicity Beallo, Community Engagement Manager of the Sierra Community House, received The Chris Ballin Award for her work advocating for cultural competency, equality and social justice in our community. The award is in memory of Chris Ballin, the founder of La Comunidad Unida in the 1980s. Felicity leads a team of Promotoras that is dedicated to advancing equity and access; a team that defines “for the community, by the community”.  Under her leadership, the team has expanded and has been the go-to for community partners when it comes to engaging with our Spanish-speaking community members. The team has been critical in community-wide Covid outreach, education, services, and access to vaccines.  Felicity is recognized for being a fierce advocate to ensure all voices are heard in decision making processes.  She brings special awareness to language access barriers and issues of exclusion. 

Jazmin Breaux, Truckee/Tahoe Health and Human Services Program Manager, was bestowed the CCTT Partner of the Year Award for her strong record of regional collaboration and great advocacy for our community. She plays an active role in CCTT at all levels, and is an instrumental member of several local coalitions. She is recognized for her work to close gaps between eastern and western county services, managing emotionally charged topics and conversations, and addressing the myriad of social service issues that became even more acute during a pandemic. She approaches the work with a healthy dose of humor, authenticity and above all heart. 

Nominations were received for CCTT’s annual awards by partners in November. A steering committee assisted in the awardee selection and award recipients were announced at the CCTT’s annual holiday meeting on December 6, 2021.