The Boblitts’ commitment to their community reflect who they are as individuals: Pat through her devotion to children and families, while Craig has focused his efforts on the community at large through his business savvy and artistic perspective.
While they grew up in the Bay Area, both Craig & Pat Boblitt were always drawn towards Sonoma County.
From a young age, Craig would vacation at Rio Nido on the Russian River in the 1950’s and 60’s and used to ponder the thought of one day moving to Sonoma County; he has fond memories of driving through Sebastopol and enjoying a glass of the area’s famous ice-cold apple cider.
Pat’s connection to Sonoma County goes back to the early 1900’s. In those days subscribers of the Oakland Tribune were granted a free lot in Cazadero with their subscription. Her maternal grandfather took advantage of one of the lots. The family built cabins near Murphy’s Beach where Pat spent many happy childhood summers.
Craig’s efforts in helping to make the city a better place have taken many forms, but Sebastopol Senior Center Executive Director Linda Civitello calls out Craig’s special dedication to the organization.
“The senior center might not have survived without the support of dedicated locals like Craig,” said Civitello. “He stepped up when asked to join the Board at a time when the Senior Center was literally broke; he accepted the challenge and has helped turn things around.” She also notes that Craig is a hands-on board member. He has chaired benefits, organized barbecues, and arranged for free space for the Holiday Pop-Up Store for four years. Additionally, he attends meeting with funders and the City Council on behalf of the Senior Center and assists at every open house, potluck and dance.
Craig began volunteering in earnest upon his retirement from Epic Plastics in 2011, a family-owned business that Craig took the helm of while still in college after the sudden and unexpected death of his father. In addition to being on the board of the Sebastopol Senior Center, Craig has also served on the Sebastopol Streetscape Committee, Sebastopol Design Review Board, Sebastopol Art Commission, Sebastopol General Plan Update Committee and has helped out with Analy Project Graduation.
Pat began volunteering at the Gravenstein School District when the Boblitts’ two sons were in elementary school. She has served on the Analy Education Foundation board, spent countless hours helping out with Analy High School’s Project Graduation, and dove into writing a tax measure to support the Gravenstein School District. In recognition of her dedication to early childhood education, Pat was named Sonoma County Community Childcare Council’s (4C’s) Early Childhood Champion of 2019.
For the past 15 years, Pat has served as an early childhood special education consultant for various Sonoma County pre-schools as a part of the Early Learning Institute (ELI). She leads playgroups, teaches and co directs the ELI community preschool, consults with the Consultation Project in local preschools, and presents numerous workshops focused on supporting young children with special needs.
Pat began her profession at the Morgan Autism Center in Palo Alto. After moving to Sonoma County in 1979, she directed the Full Inclusion grant at 4Cs, supporting children with developmental differences in community preschools. She then went on to teach a SCOE preschool special day class, first at Oak Grove elementary school and then her class was co located with Happy Days preschool in Sebastopol.
Today, the Boblitts are acknowledged for being major supporters of the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, the Sebastopol Area Senior Center, and Peacetown.
Craig and Pat met in college while attending San Jose State University and moved to Sonoma County in 1979. For the past 40 years the Boblitts have lived in a passive solar house that Craig built on Sparkes Road, where they raised two sons and enjoy spending time with their three grandchildren.