Youth volunteer Bridge named Citizen of the Year
Published 1:30 am Monday, March 2, 2026
SEQUIM — Longtime youth volunteer John Bridge was named Citizen of the Year at the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards luncheon at The Cedars at Dungeness.
Gary Huff was a finalist for the honor, and Sequim High School senior Laila Sundin was named the first recipient of the chamber’s new Emerging Leader award.
All three were recognized Feb. 24 for their community service during the luncheon, which drew about 75 attendees.
“The 2025 Citizen of the Year was awarded to John Bridge for his many years of working with youth in our community,” the chamber stated in a news release. “From refereeing to coaching and mentoring student athletes and chess team competitors to serving on boards for the Sequim School District and Sequim Education Foundation, John’s breadth of service over several decades is something many of the Citizens of the Year since 1968 have had in common.”
Bridge said he felt “overwhelmed, because I have known so many of the other winners of this, and it just feels great.”
As winner of the Emerging Leader award, Sundin will receive a scholarship for the Business Leadership Academy at Peninsula College.
A Sequim native, Sundin is a dual-sport varsity athlete, a member of the National Honor Society, an elected student leader and a community volunteer.
Huff, a member of the Olympic Peninsula YMCA board, was a finalist for Citizen of the Year because of his fundraising efforts that not only benefited the Y but helped ensure no one is turned away due to inability to pay for a membership.
His volunteer work also includes trail maintenance in Olympic National Park.
The chamber hosts an awards luncheon each year to honor volunteers.
Nominations open in late fall and awards are announced in February.
Fore more information about the program, go to sequimchamber.com/coty.
Past recipients
1992 — Bud Knapp
1993 — Paul Higgins
1994 — Rand Thomas
1995 — Rochelle McHugh
1996 — Esther Nelson
1997 — Annette Hanson
1998 — Jim & Cathy Carl
1999 — Bill Fatherson
2000 — Robert Clark
2001 — Don Knapp
2002 — Gil Oldenkamp
2003 — John Beitzel
2004 — Emily Westcott
2005 — Lee Lawrence
2006 — Bob and Elaine Caldwell
2007 — Stephen Rosales
2008 — Walt & Sherry Schubert
2009 — Tom Schaafsma
2010 — Jim Pickett
2011 — Dick Hughes
2012 — Kevin Kennedy
2013 — Gary Smith
2014 — Cliff Vining
2015 — Louie Rychlik
2016 — Dave Bekkevar
2017 — Judy Reandeau Stipe
2018 — Don, Clare Manis Hatler
2019 — Deon Kapetan
2020 — First responders
2021 — Jean Wyatt
2022 — David Blakeslee
2023 — Renne Emiko Brock
2024 — Ron Stecker
