San Francisco nonprofit’s Executive Director Darlene Weide ushers in the organization’s 50th anniversary & 16th annual SF Peacemaker Awards ceremony
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, June 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Community Boards, the nation’s first and longest-running community-conflict resolution center, will celebrate its 50th anniversary and present the 16th Annual San Francisco Peacemaker Awards at a special gala on Friday, June 12, at the Verdi Club in downtown San Francisco.
Community Boards pioneered the community mediation model, which has been replicated in more than 500 centers throughout the United States and internationally. It provides the public with empowering, effective, and accessible mediation and conflict resolution services that address a wide range of personal, residential, neighborhood, consumer, and public disputes.
Additionally, Community Boards’ trademark model for civic participation cements its long collaboration with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), both of which now embed mediation directly in schools and workplaces.
To date, Community Boards has:
• Helped more than 58,000 San Franciscans resolve their disputes peacefully.
• Trained more than 20,000 individuals in conflict resolution skills.
• Built a volunteer network of more than 430 trained mediators.
About the San Francisco Peacemaker Awards: Each year, Community Boards presents awards to an adult, a youth, and an organization that have made significant contributions to conflict resolution. Each award acknowledges, honors, and celebrates the change-makers, community-builders, anti-violence advocates, and on-the-ground peacemakers who are making San Francisco a city with healthier, safer neighborhoods and communities.
THE 2026 PEACEMAKER AWARD RECIPIENTS (Read full bios)
2026 Gail Sadalla Rising Peacemaker Awards (2)
• Gloria Cuevas Torres — Honored for her role as a peer mediator at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Middle School in San Francisco, where she helps students resolve conflicts through active listening and restorative practices.
• Max Trujillo — Recognized for co-founding San Francisco’s first District 9 Youth Council and for advocating on youth issues such as homelessness, climate change, public safety, and immigrant support. He also served on the San Francisco Youth Commission and will attend the University of California, Berkeley, this fall.
2026 Raymond Shonholtz Visionary Peacemaker Award
• Sharon Rose — Recognized for more than 30 years of leadership in restorative justice and alternatives to incarceration, including work with Neighborhood Courts and the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project.
2026 Community Boards Leadership Award
• CLECHA — A nonprofit that supports Latino entrepreneurs through financial education, business development, reentry programs, and youth entrepreneurship initiatives, promoting economic empowerment and stability.
COMMUNITY BOARDS FAQ
Founded in 1976 with the mission to provide the general public with an empowering, effective, and accessible methodology for resolving a wide range of personal, residential, neighborhood, consumer, and public disputes.
Developed a unique panel mediation model with three mediators working collaboratively to create a safe, confidential conflict resolution process for all San Franciscans. (This model has been replicated worldwide.)
Created a rewarding—personally and professionally—avenue for concerned citizens to volunteer their time, energy, and skills to help others.
SAN FRANCISCO PEACEMAKER AWARDS FAQ
Launched in 2011, the awards recognize and honor the significant contributions of others who help make the city a place of healthier, more just neighborhoods and communities.
The awards salute and celebrate change-makers, community-builders, anti-violence advocates, and on-the-ground peacemakers. The three awards recognize individuals and organizations with proven track records, as well as the next generation of “rising” peacemakers.
EVENT CALENDAR EDITOR:
WHEN: Friday, June 12, 2026, 6:30–9:30 p.m.
WHERE: Verdi Club, located at 2424 Mariposa St., San Francisco
TICKETS: $85–$100
DETAILS: Visit the Community Boards website.
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James R. Norrena, Media Contact
Community Boards
+1 510-384-6969
jnorrena@communityboards.org
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Community Boards 50th Anniversary
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