[Noozhawk’s note: One in a series on the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation’s 2025 Champions of the Valley who will be honored for their volunteerism and community service Oct. 12 at Rancho Carmina in Los Olivos. Click here for more information, or click here to purchase tickets online.]
Kacy Caplan doesn’t just sign up — she shows up.
Whether the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School senior is leading the girls varsity golf team as captain, raising pigs for the Santa Barbara County Fair, or volunteering at Safety Town — the same summer camp she attended as a child — Caplan embodies the spirit of giving back that makes small communities thrive.
It is that kind of dedication that has earned her a Santa Ynez Valley Foundation 2025 Youth Community Champion award recipient.
The honor is not the first high-profile recognition she received this year. Earlier, she was named the Santa Ynez Valley Youth Recreation queen — a prestigious role that allowed her to transform her passion for service into tangible impact for valley youth.
“Through my work as Youth Rec queen, I was able to give back after years of playing on the facilities that the SYV Youth Rec has raised money for and built,” Caplan explained, reflecting on the full-circle moment of supporting the same programs that shaped her childhood.
Caplan didn’t just wear the Youth Rec queen crown, she worked for it.
She played a key role in facilitating three major community events that raised significant funds directly benefiting youth programs and recreational opportunities throughout the Santa Ynez Valley.
Her efforts exemplified the kind of leadership that turns good intentions into real change.
Caplan’s service journey began in seventh grade when she joined National Charity League, where her “love for volunteering truly started.”
Over the years, she has donated more than 200 hours to various valley philanthropies, including People Helping People, Friendship House and Safety Town.
Her commitment was recognized within NCL, where she served as class president and became a role model for younger members of the mother-daughter nonprofit community service organization.
“Volunteering is important to me because, through it, I am able to give back to a community that has given me so much,” Caplan said, capturing the reciprocal relationship that defines her approach to service.
Her leadership extends throughout Santa Ynez High, where she maintains straight A’s while serving as ASB board representative — one of many offices she’s held over the years.
As president of the school’s FFA chapter, she demonstrated the same dedication to agriculture that shows in her careful raising of pigs — and even guinea pigs — for competition at the County Fair in Santa Maria.
“Volunteering is important to me because, through it, I am able to give back to a community that has given me so much.”
kacy caplan
Caplan also competes on the varsity track and field team and participates in Rotary Club, somehow balancing an impressive array of commitments while maintaining her academic excellence.
“Kacy is an outgoing, kind and well-liked young individual who has gone above and beyond in helping others,” Liz Hamaoui, president of NCL’s Santa Ynez Valley chapter, in nominating her for Youth Community Champion.
Supported by her parents, Robyn and Brian Caplan, and grandmother Paula Albrecht, Caplan represents the best of what happens when natural leadership meets genuine care for community.
Her story proves that sometimes the most powerful impact comes not from grand gestures, but from consistently showing up for the place and people you love.
Champions of the Valley
Since 1995, the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation has been honoring exceptional local volunteers whose tireless community commitment enriches the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos, their residents and a wide range of local organizations.
This year’s honorees for the 30th Annual Champions of the Valley are Laura Beas-Díaz, Mike Brady, Terry Delaney and Doug Riedy.
Youth Community Champions are Kacy Caplan and Adrian Garcia.
Becky Barieau will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The awards will be presented at 4 p.m. Oct. 12 at Rancho Carmina in Los Olivos. Click here for more information, or click here to purchase tickets online.
The Champions of the Valley celebration is sponsored by U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, Kiani Preserve, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Rio Vista Chevrolet, the Ann Jackson Family Foundation, Flying Z Ranch-Betty and Ron Ziegler, Rancho Carmina-Hayley Firestone, Women Winemakers & Culinarians Foundation, Noozhawk, The Landsby, Manchester Capital Management, the Nagler Family Fund, Allan Hancock College, Barbara Anderson, Linda Stafford Burrows, the Grenier Family, Hometown Insurance Services-Debbie and Randy Jones, Montecito Bank & Trust, Santa Barbara Foundation, Santa Ynez General-Turnbull Family, Town and Ranch Properties-Michael Nicola and Gabriel Bustamante, Urquidez Building Corp.-Laura and Chris Urquidez, Visit the Santa Ynez Valley.
The honorees were chosen by a panel of foundation board members and former honorees, based on nominations made by the community.
The honorees each receive a $1,000 grant to support a nonprofit organization of their choice. The Youth Community Champions each receive a $1,000 scholarship to further their education.
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation
The Santa Ynez Valley Foundation is dedicated to a mission centered around grant-making, extending financial support and resources to a diverse array of local organizations and initiatives in the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos valleys.
The grants are strategically channeled into key sectors, including food security, health and human services, support for seniors, arts and culture, youth development, and education.
The foundation also administers a robust College Scholarship Program designed to empower ambitious college-bound local students.
Currently, 50 students are beneficiaries of this program, receiving scholarships to facilitate their pursuit of higher education and, in turn, contributing to the overall advancement of the community.
