Parents' tireless advocate
Rancho Cotate, PTA work makes Lorenz one of RP's busiest volunteers
Volunteer Shari Lorenz in front of a mural at Rancho Cotate High School, Wednesday Aug.31, 2011. Among her various interests in the community, Lorenz volunteers her time as the PTA president at the school, and is also involved in the Rotary Club.
(Kent Porter / Press Democrat)Published: Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 3:58 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 12:16 p.m.
To the casual observer, Shari Lorenz's arms appear perfectly normal. But people who know her well frequently say that she has "helium arms."
That's because they raise automatically.
Rohnert Park Mayor Gina Belforte puts it another way: "She's a natural giver, and so she'll step up to the plate when she sees things need to get done, it's just her nature."
A mother of three children, a Realtor and one of Rohnert Park's busiest volunteers, Lorenz is involved in areas from schools to citywide celebrations.
She's president of the Rancho Cotate High School Parent Teacher Student Association and secretary (and past president) of the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District PTA Council.
"It just makes me feel good," says Lorenz, 46, who has lived in the city for 23 years.
"It's all about the kids, and especially now we're trying to supplement because the state's spending on education is not where it should be," she says.
Lorenz's enthusiasm helps bolster the ranks of others who get involved too, said Rancho Cotate Principal Bob Steffens: "Her leadership helps attract parents."
A Rancho Cotati Rotary Club member, Lorenz works on a committee that connects students to workplaces. She co-chairs the Distinguished Young Women of Sonoma County, which raises scholarship money for high school junior girls. And she's helping organize a parade celebrating the city's 50th anniversary.
All those things have made her well known in the city of 41,000 residents but, she says, that's beside the point.
"To me it's not about the recognition," she says. "It's about getting things done and trying to give what's needed."
Asked when she last said "no" to a volunteer assignment, she taps her fingernails, which are painted in glittery pinks, yellows and greens, and says, "When I was asked to run for school board."
Otherwise, she says, "If I have the time and I can help, I will do it."
That has concrete results in a small city organized around neighborhoods and with needs that have grown in a time of economic strain, said Belforte.
"What it does is it creates a web around the community that binds us all together," she said.
"Shari's one of those people who knows what's going on in the city, and when somebody needs help, she'll call and see if somebody can do it, or she'll do it."
Knowing what's going on — and enthusiastically joining in — is among the things that drives Lorenz to volunteer and volunteer and volunteer.
"I really like being informed about the community," she says. In the beginning, when she first volunteered at her son Kyle's elementary school, "I just wanted to be aware of what was going on and to participate."
She puts about 10 hours a week into her various volunteer assignments but says she gets much more out of them than she puts in.
"Being informed, being part of something and being able to feel good about yourself when you go home," she says. "You made a difference."
You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Hay at 521-5212 or jeremy.hay@pressdemocrat.com.
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