PORT TOWNSEND — Eight volunteers — four adults and four teenagers — will receive the 2019 Jefferson County Heart of Service award at a luncheon Tuesday.
The luncheon, which is open to the public, will be at 11:30 a.m. at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St.
This is the 14th year for the Heart of Service award, which is sponsored by the Peninsula Daily News, the Rotary Club of Port Townsend (noon club), the Port Townsend Sunrise Rotary Club and the East Jefferson Rotary Club.
Adult honorees are:
• Jamie Bima — A volunteer who has given her time to the community of Port Ludlow and the Olympic Peninsula Bluebills, as well as being a longtime Big Sister.
• Kelly Liske — A volunteer who “gives 110 percent with the can-do attitude” and who “is the most selfless person I know,” according to her nominator.
• Robert Reasoner — An advocate for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education.
• Randy Rosen — A volunteer for Olympic Neighbors, the Port Townsend Food Bank, the Port Townsend Film Festival and a variety of other nonprofits.
Youth honorees are:
• Ella Ashford — A young woman who has advocated for, and taught, STEM programs in Jefferson County.
• Sarah Lee — A young volunteer who has accomplished several community projects on the Interact Club.
• Eugenia and Viola Phillips-Frank — The Chimacum sisters have “signed up for everything Interact has to offer,” said T.J. Pastow, East Jefferson Rotary Club director of the Interact Club.
Bima
Jamie Bima, left, was matched with Season in the Big Sister program when Season was 6, and they are still close today.
Bima “is one of the most wonderfully talented people I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years,” said Jeanne Joseph, Port Ludlow Yacht Club member in her letter of recommendation. “She is fun, generous, resourceful, energetic, super creative and tireless.”
Bima headed the yacht club committee that worked to rehabilitate the interiors of eight Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP) emergency shelters and transitional house for homeless women, doing everything from painting to providing furniture and new flooring, said Barbara Berthiaume, chair of the Bluebills, who nominated Bima for the award.
Bima also chaired the North Bay Lot Owners Association and was a very active volunteer in the renovation of the North Bay Beach Club kitchen, Berthiaume added.
She has mentored two little sisters — one of whose college graduation she recently attended – and in 1988 was the recipient of the Big Sister of the Year for the United States.
“On a personal note, Jamie has been a regular contributor to the Bluebills when we have our annual Christmas Giving Event,” Berthiaume said.
Kathy Morgan, director of Housing and Community Development at OlyCAP, said that Bima “has been a hard-working volunteer for OlyCAP for many years,” in her nomination letter.
“Jamie does all these things and asks nothing in return,” Morgan said. “She truly only wants to see her community better when she is done.”
Also recommending Bima for the award were Bryan Diehl, who served with her on the North Bay Lot Owners Association, and Brian Belmont, general manager of the Ludlow Maintenance Commission.
Liske
Kelly Liske is a fixture of the volunteering community. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Liske balances her career as the chief banking officer at First Federal with being a wife and mother and a volunteer with myriad organizations, said Staci Matthes, who nominated her for the award.
She is president of Christmas for Children, which provides gifts and clothes to children who might not have presents otherwise; serves as a Girl Scout leader; is vice president and treasurer of Big Blue Boosters of Chimacum; serves on the Jefferson County Heathcare Foundation board; volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Port Townsend.
“She is deeply committed to moving our community forward without leaving any of its members behind,” Matthes said in her letter.
“I am in awe of her passion and energy.”
Reasoner
Robert Reasoner is a persistent STEM advocate in Jefferson County. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Reasoner is a leader in the Olympic Peninsula K-12 STEM initiatives, said his nominator, Rick Thompson, superintendent of Chimacum Schools.
He facilitates teacher professional development support for free, seeks donations for STEM support for all grades, and is an advocate for educators in Chimacum schools and other schools in the area, Thompson said.
“Bob is a relentless capacity builder,” Thompson said in his nomination letter. “What makes him great is his ability to see a need and create a network of resources,” Thompson said.
He also “is a gentle and determined soul. He does not take no for an answer. He quietly, carefully and persistently moves people toward goals,” Thompson added.
At 90 years old, Reasoner “personifies the lifelong learner,” Thompson said.
Rosens
Randy Rosens offers ceramic cups made by LaughinGnome during Gallery Walks.
Rosens has a tattoo on his arm that says “Be the Change,” said Shirley Moss, Port Townsend Food Bank manager, in her nomination letter.
“He lives that saying in an indefatigable manner every single day,” she said.
In addition to the food bank, he also volunteers with the Port Townsend Film Festival, Skookum, the Port Townsend Main Street Program and Key City.
Al Latham, treasurer of Olympic Neighbors — which provides housing support for those with disabilities — described Rosens as “Mr. Volunteer,” in his letter.
Rosens not only serves on the board and has worked to support Hamilton House — a home for adults with special needs, but also each month at Port Townsend Gallery Walk, he offers for a $10 donation to Olympic Neighbors ceramic cups for wine-tasting.
“I also know Randy to model a principled stance in keeping with his profound commitment to our environment,” said Janette Force, executive director of the Port Townsend Film Festival, in her letter.
“He chooses his bike, brings his own bag, lives frugally and truly cares.”
Ashford
Ashford “is an enthusiastic and essential force driving STEM education in Jefferson County,” said her nominator, Charles Bodony of the Applied Education Foundation in Port Townsend.
She has worked with the Applied Education Foundation and Port Townsend STEM Club and participated in robotics and science-based programs, “many of which she helped to bring to Jefferson County,” for nine years, he said.
Ashford and her First Lego League tam created the port Townsend Mini Maker Fair, Bodony said.
The fair is now in its fifth year and has 25 student demonstrators showcasing projects from across the state, he said.
She also traveled to Denmark and lived there for three months teaching robotics and learning how that country incorporated STEM into its classrooms. That prompted her to begin a pilot project — the First Lego League robotics program, he said.
She also is the CEO, pilot and electrical and software engineer for the Sea Dragons, an underwater robotics team.
“Ella carries with her the spirit of graciousness,” Bodony said. “She is as comfortable helping a student solve a problem as she is representing projects to her legislators in Olympia. This adaptability makes her an agent of change that everyone can get on board with.”
Lee
Sarah Lee takes a moment to enjoy the sunshine at Blue Heron Middle School. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Lee has been on the Interact Club’s leadership team since she was a sophomore, said Lois Sherwood, Interact Club advisor, who nominated Lee.
“For the past two years, she has been instrumental in planning the youth activities for our community New Year’s celebration,” Sherwood said.
Se also was a leader in developing a Family Game Night at Blue Heron Middle School, and is a key member of the school’s Mock Trial team, Sherwood said.
“The only limitation on Sarah’s accomplishments with Interact is her involvement in other extracurricular activities on campus and her commitment to high standards as a student and a musician,” Sherwood said.
”She brings creative ides to the table and is willing to take initiative to propel new ideas to fruition,” Sherwood said.
Phillips-Frank sisters
Sisters Eugenia and Viola Phillips-Frank are active in their Chimacum community.
Cammy Brown of the Est Jefferson Rotary Club nominated the Phillips-Frank sisters because “I am impressed with their kind and unselfish contribution” to the Chimacum Interact Club.
“I nominate them for their outstanding volunteerism in our community and for the positive role model behavior they exhibit when they are interacting with adults and youth,”Brown said.
Their volunteer work is varied. It includes projects at area assisted living facilities, helping out with Thanksgiving dinners and soup kitchens, and dealing with Halloween safety for those younger than they are.
Brown quoted Pascow in her nomination letter as saying that the two “go above and beyond. Really remarkable for two ninth graders.
“Good values, good morals, good kids.”
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
