The Mill Valley City Council honored Janet Miller as its quarterly Volunteer All-Star on Monday, Sept. 21, recognizing two decades of work building programs for neurodiverse students and their families.

Miller founded It Takes a Village (ITAV), the Mill Valley School District's special education PTA, in 2006. The organization promotes academic success for students who learn differently through parent education and advocacy, according to the district's website.

She didn't stop there.

In 2008, Miller and her son Tyler Barbee co-founded what became Project Awareness and Special Sports (PAASS), a nonprofit that grew out of Challenger baseball and basketball leagues. Tyler Barbee started the effort so his older brother Connor, who is autistic, could play sports alongside peer volunteers.

PAASS became a registered nonprofit in 2014 and now provides adaptive baseball and basketball programs for participants ages 5 to 21 with developmental delays and learning differences. Miller serves as executive director on a fully volunteer basis, according to the organization's website.

The city itself partners with PAASS to run adaptive-needs programming year-round, according to the city's recreation page. The Mill Valley Soccer Club also lists a PAASS Soccer program for players with developmental delays.

Miller co-founded Artists without Boundaries, an organization aimed at participants facing language barriers, and served on the Mill Valley School District Board of Trustees, where she championed inclusive education and expanded support services, according to the city's announcement.

The council's recognition statement described Miller as a driving force in making the community more welcoming and inclusive for future generations.

Miller also produced a documentary called The Art of Belonging in partnership with Splicer Films. The film follows the PAASS mission through the story of one boy's concern for his autistic brother and the community programs that grew from it, according to the film's production page.

Mill Valley residents can see the film for free at a screening on Nov. 4 at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto. A reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the screening at 7 p.m. and a panel discussion and Q&A at 7:30 p.m. The event is hosted by the City of Mill Valley in partnership with ITAV, Dedication to Special Education and PAASS, according to the city's event listing.

The Volunteer All-Star is a quarterly honor. The council's previous recipient was Nona Dennis, recognized at the June 1 meeting.