2017 Rancho Cordovan of the Year 

It’s early January, and a familiar email pops up in the inbox.

The query is this:

“What days will we be setting up for the Fourth of July? I need to put in for my vacation.”

So goes the annual email from Tracey Harris, the happy warrior who plans his vacation from work to volunteer for his community. Either Tracey needs to get a life, or he needs to be honored as the Rancho Cordovan of the Year. We pick the latter.

Like salt in the soup, you cannot always pick out Tracey’s contributions from the finished product. But somehow he is always there, giving flavor and substance and making everything better. If he wasn’t there, he would surely be missed.

  

A lot of folks over at the Rancho Cordova Moose Lodge think the world of Tracey and took the time to nominate him. 

Apparently he made quite an impression on Virginia Davis, who said her most vivid memory of Tracey was him dressing in a Moose costume to march in the Fourth of July parade back in the 1990s. Anybody who can survive that journey, with the temperature heading north of 100 degrees, has to admire Tracey for his commitment – if not for his intelligence.

Tracey also made his mark over at the Moose Lodge for his unwavering support and activities to promote an annual golf tournament to benefit the Cordova Food Locker. Tracey has organized that tournament year after year, raising more than $54,000 for the food locker over time

Wife Sandy is Tracey’s biggest fan. She noted that Tracey oversees all the local and national charitable donations that make their way through the Rancho Cordova Moose Lodge.  

He works events from sun-up to sun-down, even after undergoing surgeries in the past two years, Sandy said.  

The Cordova Community Council knows all about Tracey. That’s because he is one of those rare go-to guys in our community who does it all. Tracey Harris is not the only person who falls into that category –but these volunteer wonders are few and far between.

For the Cordova Community Council, Tracey can be counted upon to be where the rubber meets the road at Kids Day in the Park, iFest International Festival, Rancho Cordova Fourth of July, Heartstoppers Haunted House and the Christmas Tree Lighting. He has been a key volunteer for many years at the California Capital Airshow. He would probably be serving dinner here tonight if we had not banned him from our volunteer crew.

Tracey is one of those guys who amplifies his volunteer impact by bringing other volunteers with him. Need a few more sets of hands at the Fourth of July? Ask Tracey. Need some workers for a concessions booth at the Airshow? Tracey is on it. Need some help with sponsorship dollars? Tracey is already working over the brass at HD Supply, where he works for real pay.

Yes, Tracey knows and is loved by a whole lot of people, but we go back to the beginning to highlight the one thing we have noticed, and so has everybody else:  

That Tracey’s happy warrior heart is so big that when he takes vacation, his first priority is to volunteer. He does not set his schedule for time off until he knows when he will be needed to help make the fireworks explode at the Fourth of July or help the Airshow fly.

Tracey knows what all great volunteers know: You don’t have to understand the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need to have a full heart.

The world is hugged by the faithful arms of volunteers like Tracey. It’s easy to make a buck – it’s tougher to make a difference. And Tracey does.

Tracey, so many people know you, so many people love you, and so many people are here tonight because they want to join us in thanking you for all you do for our community. You are fun -- and you are funny. And you are also the Rancho Cordovan of the Year. Congratulations!