OUR TEAM
Board of Directors
Myriah Volk, Founder & CEO
Myriah is a Sonoma County native. She was inducted into the Healdsburg High School Hall of Fame in 2013 for Excellence in Athletics & Service to Community. Myriah lives in Sebastopol with her two sons where she is highly active in the local community. In addition to being the Founder and CEO of Shoes 4 Kidz she serves as a Trustee on The Sebastopol Union School District Board & is the Creator/Host of local podcast People Doing Good with former NFL star & Shoes 4 Kidz President, Jerry Robinson.
Jerry Robinson, President Board of Directors
Jerry Robinson was a star athlete at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California. He captained the football, basketball and track teams. He ran the 100-yard dash in 9.5 seconds and high jumped 6 feet 5 inches. UCLA used him as a wide receiver in his freshman year and moved him to inside linebacker just before the Rose Bowl game with Ohio State. As a linebacker, Robinson made All-American three times. He was a consensus choice in 1976, unanimous in 1977 and 1978. He set a school record for most tackles in one game -28 against Air Force in 1976. His career total, 468 tackles, set a UCLA record. The Downtown Athletic Club of New York named him Linebacker of the Year in 1977 and 1978. He received the Pop Warner Award as Best West Coast player in 1978. Robinson stood 6-3, weighed 208, and wore jersey No. 84, which UCLA retired and he was named to the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame, as well as the College Football Hall of Fame. Jerry was also 1 of only 50 players to be named to The All-Century Pac 12 Team. He played pro 14 years 1979-1992 with the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Raiders.
Shoes 4 Kidz is thrilled to have Jerry on our team.
“If I can help change lives for the better, that is my PURPOSE. To give a kid a moment of HAPPINESS and HOPE- that’s what it’s all about!” – Jerry Robinson
Joseph Passalacqua, Vice President Board of Directors
Although Joe is an attorney who has been practicing law since 1988 in Healdsburg, California, the practice of law does not truly define who he is as a person. He is a person with a great passion for sports, who has enjoyed playing multiple sports all of his life. In high school, he participated in football, basketball, baseball, track, and tennis. In college, he played football and ran track for two years at Santa Rosa Junior College, and then doing the same for two years at the California State University of Chico.
Upon graduating from Chico, Joe studied law at the University of Santa Clara for three years. After law school, he moved back to his hometown of Healdsburg where he entered law practice with his father Emil and brother Richard. In addition to being an attorney since 1988, he has been a mentor and coach to many of our youth in Sonoma County. He first started coaching girls basketball at Healdsburg High School from 1988-1992. He then refereed high school football and basketball for several years, before becoming an assistant varsity football coach at Healdsburg High School from 1996-1999. In the fall of 1999, he took over as head varsity basketball coach at Petaluma High School for three years. He then spent one year as an assistant with the Men’s basketball program at Santa Rosa Junior College before becoming the head varsity girls coach at Windsor High School from 2003-2010.
Most recently he has been involved coaching at the youth level with St. John CYO basketball. When President Myriah Volk asked Joe to be a part of Shoes 4 Kidz, it was an easy decision for him, having known Myriah since he helped coach her in basketball at Healdsburg High School. He shares all of the board members’ enthusiasm for the youth in our community and in addition, the vision of building this non-profit organization to a level where every child can have a new pair of shoes. He looks forward to working with all of the board members to ensure that every child has an opportunity to get in the game!!
Chip Castleberry, Board of Directors
Chip Castleberry is a Sebastopol native. He was a football and track star at Analy High School and San Francisco State, he then coached at SFSU, SRJC, and Analy, where he was also the Athletic Director. Chip was recently inducted into the Analy High School Hall of Fame, and a new football stadium was built and named in his honor. Chip’s dedication to the youth of our community makes him an excellent addition to our Board of Directors.
Elizabeth Arntz, Board of Directors
Elizabeth attended Saint Mary’s College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2015. While at Saint Mary’s, she was a peer health educator planning educational health programs that promoted fun, interactive, and preventative campaigns around health and wellness. She graduated with her Masters in Public Health in 2017 and currently works at the Sonoma County Office of Education creating with educators transformative student experiences. She has been a crucial part of Shoes 4 Kidz since the beginning of Shoes 4 Kidz!
Mike McBride, Board of Directors
I am elated to be joining the Shoes 4 Kidz Board of Directors. As a retired Sebastopol educator for over 42 years and a current coach, this role continues my commitment to children and their learning through sports and in the classroom.
I had the pleasure of working with Shoes 4 Kidz founder, Myriah Volk, as her administrator when she was teaching physical education. During that time, I witnessed her in the early stages of creating Shoes 4 Kidz. I have always been impressed with her dedication to providing quality, comfortable, and well-fitted shoes for children as she recognizes how crucial it is to the health, safety, and self-esteem of young people.
I'm aligned with the values of Shoes 4 Kidz and the Board of Directors and I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved in supporting their vision.
Gianni Colombana, Board of Directors
Superintendent at Dome Construction.
Student Intern Team
Gianluca Dimauro, Student Intern
We are proud to have Gianluca from Cardinal Newman working on his Senior Service Mentor Project!
Founding Shoes 4 Kidz Board Members
Steve Dutton- President Dutton Ranch
Kim Rothstein- Former San Francisco Marketing Professional
Anna Guzman- Assistant Superintendent Santa Rosa City Schools
David Brown- Executive Director of YMCA