Community Champions
The Community Champion recognition highlights individuals, groups, donors, or partners who go beyond simply showing up. They advocate for the mission of the North of the River Recreation and Park District, inspire others, and often serve as a trusted bridge between our District and the community. Community Champions are anonymously nominated by District staff, and a leadership panel reviews those nominations to select each honoree. This process allows staff to recognize the people and organizations who make a meaningful impact through their support of our programs, parks, and community initiatives. The Community Champions program reinforces our values as an organization, supports engagement, and helps foster a culture of appreciation.
We are proud to recognize Dr. Jeff Moffit as our Community Champions program and thank him for supporting recreation and parks.
As an Associate Professor in the Kinesiology Department at California State University, Bakersfield, Jeff is a 22-year veteran of higher education with additional work experience in clinical orthopedics and public school teaching.
Jeff was nominated for Community Champions for his volunteering with the North of the River Recreation Foundation, where at the inaugural Love Your Park Fun Run & 5K, he provided timer services, a blow-up start and finish arch, gave input and feedback, and gathered volunteers. The components Jeff provided for the Foundation fundraiser benefiting youth scholarships at NOR were critical to the event's succes.
Leading up to the event, Jeff communicated frequently and clearly, while also being fully committed and dependable. He ensured that the quality of the first-time event was similar to other small established races in the community, providing accurately processed times and a visual presentation of the starting and finish line. With his participation, the event was able to raise 35% of the Foundation's fundraising goals toward Youth Recreation Scholarships in FY26-27.
As a volunteer, Jeff demonstrated these core values of Community Champions:
- Consistent and dependable
- Passionate about their work
- Works collaboratively with others
- Made a significant impact
We are proud to recognize Chevron as our Community Champion and thank the organization for its support of STEM curriculum in early learning at NOR since 2011.
Chevron's generous support helps bring hands-on, STEM-focused experiences to young learners aged 3-6 throughout our community. Their contributions allow the District to offer the Robots 4 Tots community event at Riverview Community Center completely FREE of charge while also incorporating STEM curriculum into the Neighborhood Place Learning Center throughout the year. Chevron has demonstrated a long-term commitment to NOR programs, and its passion for introducing STEM skills to youth has resulted in a strong and enduring partnership.
As an ongoing donor, Chevron has demonstrated these core values of Community Champions:
- Invested financially through services that visibly strengthened the program
- Demonstrated long-term repeated commitment
- Passionate about their work
- Made a significant impact