PORT ANGELES — A gathering of heroes, some unsung for decades as they quietly worked behind the scenes, will be in the spotlight Thursday during the reception for the Clallam County Community Service Awards for Public Service reception.
Six volunteers, all of whom have stepped up in diverse ways, will be given five framed award certificates at the reception in the downstairs meeting room at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 301 E. Lopez Ave., Port Angeles, that begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
The reception — which will offer special deserts — is free and open to the public.
The award honors community volunteers “who have made a difference in Clallam County, who have made our communities a better place by doing extraordinary things for their neighbors, their community or the environment.”
This year’s recipients are:
■ Angie Gooding, an accomplished teacher who, since she returned to her hometown a year and half ago, has founded Port Angeles Citizens Network to find solutions to drug addiction and is working to create safe and healthy activities for teens.
■ D. Michael (Mike) Phillips, who has contributed community service for 50 years, serving in Rotary, United Good Neighbors — a predecessor of United Way — with the YMCA and, mostly recently, as a church dinner chef and a delivery person for Meals on Wheels.
■ Gene and Norma Turner, a couple who donate their time to an plethora of good causes, from Norma’s tenure on the League of Women Voters, the Charter Review Committee and Prevention Works! to Gene’s work in the schools, with Habitat for Humanity and in his garden, the source of truckloads of donated produce each year.
■ Rita Berson, the tireless and innovative manager of the Friends of Port Angeles Library Bookstore, who has revved up both interest and revenue to fund creative programming at the library.
■ Cheryl Bowers, president and founder of the nonprofit New Leash on Life, who trains service dogs for veterans and others with disabilities.
This is the 37th year of the Clallam County Community Service Award, begun by the Peninsula Daily News and now co-sponsored by Soroptimist International of Port Angeles-Noon Club.
A blue-ribbon judging committee selected the six people from nominations made by individuals, clubs, churches, businesses and other organizations.
“The number and quality of outstanding nominees made it difficult for the judges to narrow down the field to a handful recipients,” said Terry R. Ward, Peninsula Daily News publisher.
“Clallam County should be proud to have so many dedicated community volunteers, giving their time, effort and energy to make our community better each day.”
Here are this year’s recipients.
Angie Gooding
Gooding, who teaches language arts and state history at Stevens Middle School, founded Port Angeles Citizens Action Network (PA CAN) to address drug addiction issues.
“In the year and half since she has returned” to her hometown of Port Angeles, “Angie has done more for her community than most people accomplish in a lifetime,” said the Committee to Nominate Angie Gooding, led by Leslie Robertson, founder of Revitalize Port Angeles.
Among the accomplishments of PA CAN are a candlelight vigil for drug overdose victims; successful lobbying to have drug intervention specialists placed in the Port Angeles schools and to have a substance abuse initiative in the Port Angeles Police Department; and promotion and support of Oxford Houses, which provides sober housing for recovering addicts.
She also created and administers the PA Can Web page.
“Noble is an old-fashioned word, and not one that applies too often these days. In Angie’s case, however, it fits perfectly,” Robertson said in the nomination letter.
“She doesn’t want or expect attention or accolades, and she doesn’t care who gets the credit.
“The only reward she seeks is the improvement of the world around her.”
Said interim Police Chief Brian Smith in a letter of support: “Angie is also an accomplished middle school teacher and is a community role model. She has done extraordinary things for her neighbors and community.”
Stevens Middle School Principal Renee Lancaster wrote that “Gooding is one of those rare teachers everyone hopes to have on her staff,” saying she inspires students and shows caring and compassion for them.
Gooding now is exploring creating teens a safe place to gather without drugs or alcohol.
“It’s either this award or put her up for the energizer bunny ads,” said Doc Robinson in a letter of support.
“Angie is at the heart of how volunteerism in this town and county when from almost none to many.”
Mike Phillips
Phillips began a life of community service when, at 25, he joined the Port Angeles Rotary Club. He chaired and served as master of ceremonies for the group’s first annual auction.
In 1967, he began working with United Good Neighbors, which preceded United Way of Clallam County, holding several positions up to board president in 1970.
He was a charter member of the Nor’Wester Rotary and was the club’s second president. Phillips co-chaired Port Angeles’ first health fair.
He served on the YMCA board in the 1970s.
In 2000, he joined Sunrise Rotary and served in the U.S. flag project and visited the homebound, among other projects.
He also has served in his church, first the Port Angeles United Methodist Church, where he was the chief chef for Friday night dinners and, for the last 12 years, the Trinity United Methodist Church of Sequim, where he is the chair of the monthly community dinners, which serve an average of 100 people a meal.
Phillips also delivers meals on wheels.
“He likes to point out that he is just an old Army cook that loves to put out a good meal,” said Roger Oakes in his nomination.
Because of his long community service, “if this were the Academy Awards, he would be eligible for a lifetime achievement award,” Oakes said.
Gene and Norma Turner
“It is hard to find a good cause to which Gene and Norma Turner are not committed year after year . . .and I also cannot believe they have not received this award years ago,” said Mary Margaret Doherty, who nominated the Turners, with a large number of letters of support.
Both volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, in public schools and in medical mission work outside of the country.
Gene Turner, a now-retired doctor who opened the North Olympic Peninsula’s first pediatric clinic, still volunteers at Volunteers in Medicine of the Olympics, as well as at Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center and with the Peninsula Tennis Club.
An avid gardener, he donates produce to the Salvation Army and other organizations.
Norma Turner founded No Oil Port in Port Angeles, which led a fight against a plan by Northern Tier to local a terminus at Port Angeles for a 22-mile pipeline under Puget Sound. The permit was denied in 1982.
She has been elected to five of the six Charter Review Commissions and is active with the League of Women Voters.
She founded Prevention Works!
Norma Turner has served for a decade on the board of the Peninsula Housing Authority, and is a past chairwoman.
“Norma is a champion in helping people recognize their worth, even when they don’t see it,” Executive Director Kay Sassinger said.
She serves on the board of Ministry Assisting Neighbors in Need with Agape (MANNA).
“Norma is our quiet angel, our community conscious,” said Bob Dunlap, community coordinator, and Karen Tharaldsen, treasurer of MANNA.
Gene and Norma Turner have volunteered “thousands of hours assisting our staff,” at Habitat for Humanity of Clallam County, said Rick Ferguson, manager of the Habitat store.
“As I write this, the Turners are traveling to El Salvador to provide educational and medical assistance to many in need after having worked for Habitat for Humanity earlier in the week,” he said.
Norma Turner co-chairs Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula Port Angeles Unit Advisory Board and serves on the clubs’ corporate seat as well, while Gene Turner is “a trusted mentor and resources for our staff,” said Mary Budke, executive director.
“Most recently, they have turned their efforts toward building a new, larger Boys & Girls Club in Port Angeles,” Budke said.
Rita Berson
Under Berson’s leadership in the voluntary position of manager of the Friends of Port Angeles Library Book Store, the store has adopted innovative programs such as the bag-of-books sales, a teachers’ night offering discounted books for teachers for their classrooms, a holiday bazaar featuring book-themed gift baskets, said Jennifer Knight, youth service librarian, one of 16 people who nominated Berson.
“Rita makes the depth of programming we offer at the library possible,” Knight said, by bringing in increasing revenue that funds the Battle of the Books program, free felt boards for Head Start families and entertainers such as Caspar Babypants.
“Besides all these practical reasons, Rita is genuinely a joy to be around . . .cracking jokes, creating a party atmosphere behind the scenes at the library,” Knight said.
Berson has volunteered at the book store since 2006 and became manager in 2009.
Since she took over, the store’s income has grown from about $2,000 annually to $30,000, said nominators Carol Hayes and Millie Jackson.
“Rita is the backbone of the store,” said Julie Fisher, president of the Port Angeles Friends of the Library.
“Rita is the heart and brains” of the book store,” said Noah Glaude, manager of the Port Angeles library.
Other nominators lauded her success as a leader of volunteers.
“Rita is a wonderful person who has seen a need . . . and has stepped up to fill that need with hundreds of volunteer work and a work ethic that is tough to find or duplicate,” said nominator Robert Bronsink.
In 2014, Soroptimist International of Port Angeles Jet Set named Berson a woman of distinction.
Cheryl Bowers
Bowers founded the nonprofit New Leash on Life, which is based in Port Angeles, to train service dogs for veterans suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other disabled people.
“One military veteran with PTSD actually smiled when Cheryl delivered his dog that she had trained specifically for his needs; whenever I see him he’s still smiling,” said Tony Cook, one of several people who nominated her.
“I’ve seen the same response from non-veterans too,” Cook added.
“My nickname for Cheryl is Dog Lady because she has developed a unique understanding of the interconnections between humans and canines; that trait has given comfort to many troubled individuals who have one of her trained dogs,” Cook said.
Said Jean L. Marquis, another nominator: “They [the dogs] are a lifeline for us.”
In 2015, Harley, a dog that she trained, won the fourth annual American Humane Association Hero Dog of the Year award, said Phyllis Hopfner, another nominator.
She pointed out that Bowers also works actively in Voices for Veterans, helping to organize the three veterans stand downs held annually in the county and distributing pet food to veterans.
Bower “has given countless hours volunteering her time in training service dogs for veterans who have needs that are not necessarily covered by an insurance program,” said Maggie Roth in a letter of support.
“If there was not a person like Cheryl, the program New Leash on Life would not be available for that veteran who could not afford the adoption of the dog who is a tool for the veteran,” Roth said.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
