Melissa Stewart, Executive Director of Chop's Teen Club, Tells the Chop's Story and Gives Us an Amazing Tour
Our speaker for October 23, 2025 was Melissa Stewart, Executive Director of Chop’s Teen Club. Melissa was assisted by Katie Ruppe, Chop’s Community Engagement & Events Manager. Melissa has worked at Chop’s for 24 years and became the ED 5 years ago. She started as a volunteer in the café and loved Chop’s so much she asked for a paying job, got the job, and is still going strong. Katie has an MA in Organizational Leadership from the University of San Francisco and has worked in non-profits for over 25 years. Sunrise Rotary meets Thursday mornings at Chop’s and both Melissa and Katie were instrumental in getting us into the facility.
Chop’s original benefactor was Charles DeMeo (known as Chop), a successful local attorney who had no children and lived a frugal life in his home in the Chop’s neighborhood. In his will he left $16,000,000 to a foundation to create a place for teenagers to gather. His great-nephew, Brad DeMeo (now Judge DeMeo) helped him set up the bequest for the creation of a teen center and helped create Chop’s when Charles passed away. Chop’s was initially funded with $8,000,000, largely for the construction of the building, and another $8,000,000 was set aside with the Community Foundation. Chop’s mission is to provide a safe, fun, and productive place where Sonoma County teens engage, connect, and discover their potential. Chop’s is open to any Sonoma County teen in grades 7-12. The annual membership fee is $75. There are 600 active and a total of 1,300 members. The annual budget is about $1,076,000; the Community Foundation funds 30% of the budget, so additional fundraising is an ongoing process.
Melissa and Katie also gave us a comprehensive guided tour of Chop’s, including the kitchen, art center, gym (with an amazing climbing wall and space for basketball, dodgeball, and even soccer), music studio, counseling office, tech room (with 12 brand new high-end gaming computers), lounge, front desk, and lockers. These areas are designed to give teens an amazing place to learn something new and useful, relax, get some great exercise, socialize with peers, and collaborate on projects.
Thank you, Melissa and Katie, for the presentation and the tour of our new Thursday morning home. We love Chop’s and all the great things you accomplish for our community.
Click HERE to view a limited time recording of Melissa's presentation and tour.
