Melissa Prandi was selected as the recipient of the Public Service Award due to her consistent level of selflessness demonstrated throughout her life’s work. As a business owner in San Rafael, she models community engagement and encourages her team to participate in volunteer work.
Melissa has spent much of her time volunteering with the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Downtown Business Improvement District, Dominican University, the Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council, the Rotary Club of San Rafael, and many more associations.
Melissa led fund raising efforts for Meals of Marin, the Marin Center for Independent Living, the Marin Shakespeare Company, Sanzuma, the Career Technical Education (CTE) Center, Slide Ranch, and three international charities including the Melissa Prandi Children’s Foundation. During the first 30 days of COVID, she organized the Rotary Club of San Rafael Board’s fundraising of $50,000 to the Marin Community Foundation, which gave back to smaller non-profits in Marin County.
Melissa takes every challenge she has faced in her life and turns it into an opportunity to help those around her. She is a survivor of domestic violence and has dedicated her time, energy, and money to the Center for Domestic Peace, and has been a keynote speaker at events where she shared some of her most personal experiences with domestic violence in an effort to raise awareness.
Melissa has made such an impact to the community that she received a total of six nominations for the Public Service Award. In the opinion of her nominators, Melissa is a force of nature who brings economic prosperity to San Rafael which helps our entire community, including our public schools. She is an incredible community member with an amazing can-do attitude, is extremely generous, constantly gives back financially, and dedicates her time and skills to make San Rafael and Marin a better place to live for everyone. Melissa’s efforts and accomplishments have bettered our community, and communities across the world, in many ways, which has earned her the City of San Rafael’s Public Service Award for 2023.
The San Rafael City Council expresses its appreciation to Melissa Prandi on behalf of this community and hereby awards her the Richard O’Brien and the Mary Ferrario O’Brien Public Service Award for 2023.
Congratulations Melissa!