volunteer of the year
2020
GILROY
spice of life awards
“I love my family at the Chamber,
I love my family at Rotary, I
love my family at South County
Tail Waggers, and volunteering
has allowed me to have all these
extended families.”
Written By Kimberly Ewertz
Lisa
L
BLAGOF
isa Blagof first made her way
to Gilroy from Brookings,
Oregon, in 1987. Since her
arrival she’s immersed herself
in giving back to a community she loves.
Considering all that she’s accom-
plished, it’s not surprising she received
this honor. Lisa is an Ambassador for the
Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, recipient
of the Ambassador of the Year award
in 2018, Sergeant-at-Arms for Gilroy
Toastmasters, Board Chair for South
County Tail Waggers, a member of
South County Realtors Alliance, a Gilroy
Rotary Club member, and a Leadership
Gilroy alumna, to name a few.
But what started her on the volun-
teer path was her involvement with
Community Solutions and the Holiday
Giving Program in 2012. That same year
the nonprofit doubled its fundraising
proceeds.
“I got more people involved, got
more sponsorships, just went after it,
hard, and pushed people,” Lisa said.
What may surprise even those who
know her is that Lisa has an adventurous
side. Not long after earning her pilot’s
license in 1992 she co-piloted a volun-
teer group of medical professionals to a
small town in Mexico to provide basic
care to those in need. Having spent 14
years as a clinical laboratory scientist,
Lisa was qualified to assist the doctors
as well.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “I don’t
speak any Spanish and you find out
really quick that you don’t need it. It was
a really, really great experience.”
After graduating from Oregon
Institute of Technology she began her
career in Gilroy as a Clinical Laboratory
Scientist with an internship at Valley
Medical Center. For the next 14 years
she split her time between Natividad in
Salinas, St. Louise and Good Samaritan
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SPRING 2020
hospitals, and two medical groups.
When Lisa found herself working a
70-work hour week she accepted the
advice of her then-boyfriend and current
husband, Ray Blagof, who suggested she
try real estate.
“I like new challenges and real estate
does provide that more than most jobs
do,” Lisa said.
In 2001 she joined the staff
of Coldwell Banker in Morgan Hill.
Proponents of community service,
their office holds annual fundraisers for
Habitat for Humanity, Lucile Packard
Children’s Hospital, and a number of
local charities. Lisa was more than happy
to pitch in and help.
That same year, she and Ray married,
making Lisa stepmother to Ray’s two
daughters, and a four-time grandmother.
She considers her decision to join the
Gilroy Chamber of Commerce in 2016 a
life-changing one.
“I didn’t realize how involved they
were…how much outreach they did,”
she said. “I had a real inside look. The
people there are fantastic as are the
opportunities they’ve given me.”
After joining Toastmasters in 2018
she was elected Sergeant-at-Arms, and
her primary role is that of greeter.
“Apparently that’s what I am at
my core, but I didn’t realize it until
Toastmasters,” Lisa said with a grin.
For her, “volunteering is an incredibly
fulfilling experience.”
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