Sky Valley citizens are known for their community-minded spirit and extensive capacity for volunteerism, and for 17 years, Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Director Debbie Copple has dedicated one night to honoring those who have taken the time to make a difference.
The 17th-annual Sky Valley Community Awards celebration took place on Saturday, Feb. 7, in the Sultan High School Commons. The potluck dinner began at 5 p.m., with more than 100 Sky Valley citizens gathering to eat together and celebrate their community. The event gives numerous organizations in the Sky Valley area the opportunity to recognize their volunteers.
The celebration also presents several key awards, including two Random Acts of Kindness awards, the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year award and the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year.
Citizens of the year
The grand finale is the unveiling of the Sky Valley Citizen of the Year, which is always kept a surprise until the day of the event. The Citizen of the Year is selected from the pool of individuals already receiving an award. The mayors of Sultan, Gold Bar and both the Sultan and Gold Bar city councils review each candidate and assess their accomplishments.
Occasionally, the Citizen of the Year recognition is awarded to two people. Last year, Gold Bar residents Joe and Anne Beavers won the award.
This year, the honor went to an engaged couple from Sultan, who have both been committed to betterment of Sultan in their own unique way GÇô by spreading a little American pride. The award was presented at the end of the evening by Gold Bar Mayor Linda Loen and Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick, who announced Sgt. First Class Dave Sivewright and his fianc+¬e, Christina Nelson, as the 2015 Sky Valley Citizens of the Year.
Nelson is best-known for the campaign she spearheaded last fall to line Sultan's Main Street with American flags in time for the community's Veterans Day celebration, an event that she and Sivewright jointly coordinated.
Sivewright, who is perhaps better known as the Highway 2 Freedom Runner, is often sighted running along U.S. 2 with his 4-by-6-foot American flag that he calls "Old Glory.GÇ¥ He has become a popular speaker, volunteering for numerous speaking engagements regarding his service in the U.S. military.
Sivewright enjoys interacting with travelers while he's on his runs GÇô typically responding with a cheerful salute. Sivewright and Nelson plan to be married in March.
Volunteer of the year
The Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce 2015 Volunteer of the Year award went to 86-year-old Uteva Woodhull.
"Miss Uteva has been volunteering at the visitors center since April 2013,GÇ¥ Copple said. "She immediately began a really big research project, compiling a database of all area commercial and industrial properties. As soon as that was done, she began an outreach to each property owner to learn more about their property.GÇ¥
The project has been instrumental to the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce as it strives toward economic development in the Sky Valley region. Additionally, Woodhull works in the visitors center every Tuesday and Thursday, answering phones, manning the front desk and assisting travelers.
She also serves as the secretary of the Gold Bar VFW Auxiliary.
"Thank you so much for this honor, I really appreciate it,GÇ¥ Woodhull said.
Outstanding citizens
Sultan resident Mandy Geiger was given special recognition by Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick for her volunteer work with the Sultan Community Task Force. Geiger attends task force meetings every week, works to clean Sultan's parks and is a regular chaperone at the Volunteers of America's Safe Stop drop-in program for teens.
"She's led the weekend cleanup for teens through the rain, the wind, the flood conditions, in an effort to continue to keep our parks clean and free from debris,GÇ¥ said Mayor Eslick. "As a matter of fact, the Community Task Force that Mandy is such a big part of has removed more than 4 tons of garbage left behind in our parks and recreation areas.GÇ¥
The Random Acts of Kindness awards are given each year based on recommendations from the community. From Gold Bar, Calvin Humphreys, a former U.S. Marine, was selected for his contributions. From Sultan, Kim Bethel was acknowledged for her extensive volunteerism within the Sultan School District.
Werner Paddles was honored as the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year. Located in Sultan, Werner Paddles is celebrating its 50-year anniversary this year.
The community awards celebration also gives both Snohomish County Fire District No. 5 in Sultan and District No. 26 in Gold Bar the chance to recognize their outstanding firefighters, as well as give awards for years of service.
Commissioner Steve Fox presented for District No. 5, giving the Distinguished Service award to firefighter Scott Clark, and Firefighter of the Year award to Erik Dvorak. Clark, a full-time firefighter since 1999, is an intermediate-level EMT, a swift-water rescue tech, a qualified incident commander and a certified wildland firefighter.
Dvorak was selected as Firefighter of the Year by his colleagues for always going above and beyond the minimum and being dedicated to his job. Despite the fact that he lives outside the district, Dvorak is known for always being willing to help his coworkers. He helps with Sultan's Adopt-a-Street program and also worked with his coworkers to support the 2014 levy renewal.
Chief Eric Andrews from District No. 26 presented a series of service awards, including Brett Bergeron and Schuyler Murphy for five years of service; Scott Coulson, Dan Laine, Shawn Miller, Joe Simmons and Rob Thurston for 10 years; Shane Roeder and Jarrod Spence for 15 years; Andrew Anderson and Bob Delvecchio for 20 years; and Marney Larsen for 30 years of service.
Andrews presented two memorial awards: one for Commissioner Bert McClellan who had been with the department for 27 years, and another for Les Putnam. Putnam, a paramedic who worked for the Redmond Fire Department and District No. 26, died last September. His widow, Cindy Button, accepted the memorial in his honor.
Rob Thurston was selected as the District No. 26 Firefighter of the Year.
"I would like to thank both of our fire districts, Fire District 5 and Fire District 26,GÇ¥ Copple said. "They're continually supporting community efforts GÇô everything that we do from the Shindig to the Gold Dust Days and the Easter egg hunts GÇô they're always our partners behind the scenes and making sure that everyone is safe.GÇ¥
Other awards
Other awards were as follows: The Gold Bar Ladies VFW Auxiliary 9417 recognized Sgt. First Class Dave Sivewright as Outstanding Citizen of the Year; The Friends of the Sultan Library recognized Carolynn and Roger Thelen; the Sultan Sportsmen's Club recognized John Morgan as its Member of the Year; the Sultan-Monroe Masonic Lodge No. 160 presented a community service award to Ann Marie Bunch and the Skykomish Chamber of Commerce recognized Kevin Weiderstrom and several other volunteers for their work in developing the Great Northern and Cascade Railway.
Pasado's Safe Haven presented Karen Moores with a Volunteer of the Year award; H3 Horses Healing Heroes honored Diana Holbrook, Alyson Woods and Miranda Kretschmer as Amazing Volunteers; the Sultan VFW Post No. 2554 honored Sgt. First Class Dave Sivewright and Christina Nelson with an Outstanding Community Service Award, and the Sky Valley Historical Society honored Ann Marie Bunch for her contributions to the Sky Valley Senior Center.
Early Words Toastmasters presenter Dolly Green honored Christine Pattillo as the Toastmaster of the Year, and Cj Holmes was honored with the Toastmasters' Genevieve award. The Winters Lake Ladies Club was recognized for 80 years of volunteerism.
Lastly, Ole and Marlene Carlson were recognized by the Sultan Education Foundation for their support of the foundation. Ole and Marlene have been advocating for a small automatic withdrawal payment system in hopes that more people will choose to donate to the foundation. The couple contributes $30 every month to the foundation, which provides scholarships and classroom grants.
The event's slideshow was created by Elizabeth Emmons, and technology support was given by Dave and Jen Moon. Cub Scout Pack No. 52 presented the colors, and Gold Dust Royalty Liberty Roeder, Jlynn Zimmerman, Summer Stecher, Josie Johnson and Kiana Kendall assisted with the ceremony by handing out awards.
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