January 13, 2026
COARSEGOLD, CALIFORNIA – Over the weekend, The CrisCom Company presented Diane Boland with their 2025 Leader For America Award in recognition of her extraordinary civic leadership and commitment to the Coarsegold community. Family, friends, and community leaders gathered at the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino to recognize her volunteerism, and elected officials presented several proclamations in her honor.
“To receive the Leader For America Award has left me speechless. I am so proud to be an American, and I am so privileged to live in this country,” said Boland. “To live in a community where I have an opportunity to be of service, and find creative ways of connecting with people, has brought me much more joy than I have ever given.”
This recognition is well deserved. “For more than four decades, Diane has been the heart of Coarsegold,” said CrisCom’s CEO Chuck Jelloian. “Her compassionate leadership and ability to support community institutions continues to make a lasting positive impact on the region. Her volunteerism and tenacity embody the very spirit of the Leader For America Award.”
Diane has played a leading role in many of Coarsegold’s most memorable events, including:
- Organizing the first parade on Highway 41, the first time the highway ever closed for a community event.
- Helping bring forward the first public Powwow with the Chukchansi Tribe.
- Creating the Tarantula Festival, which gained national attention and appeared on the front page of The New York Times.
- Serving as Grand Marshal of the Coarsegold Rodeo and working behind the scenes for many years.
- Supporting local families through the Coarsegold food banks, which continue to serve the community today.
For 46 years, Diane ran the Coarsegold Peddlers Market, at one time one of the largest markets in Madera County. She spent four years on the committee that rewrote the Coarsegold General Plan, serving as both president and member-at-large. Her advocacy contributed to securing the stoplight at Highway 41 and Road 415, a major safety improvement for the community. Along with these efforts, she helped organize Flag Day ceremonies, National Night Out, Easter celebrations, and Coarsegold’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting, which she has kept going for 46 years.
In 2002, Diane founded the Coarsegold Chamber of Commerce and has served on the board every year to date. She revived the Angels Among Us Award, helped award student scholarships, and was Chamber Woman of the Year.
