PEGGY STERN PROPP, who seven years ago was a busy professional with a heavy travel schedule, regretted she had so little time to volunteer for community service. Realizing there were many people like herself, she ‘gave up a successful marketing career to found Community Impact, a nonprofit organization to make volunteering flexible, easy and fun. With her two co-founders she collaborated with other Bay Area nonprofits to create several one-day projects for volunteers — and then offered those opportunities through a newsletter. More than 62,000 hours of community service have been delivered so far, and she has developed a series of innovative projects with cooperation and funding from Bay Area foundations and corporations. However, Ms. Propp’s nominator says, “The wild successes of her creative programs have only encouraged her to continue finding new ways for individuals and groups to build community through volunteer service…she’s already working on something new. Her cup is not just half full…it’s brimming over.” In 1995 she was selected by Congressman Tom Campbell, then state senator, as Woman of the Year for his district.
