SEQUIM — A trail and bird enthusiast. A schools, sports and environment advocate. A historian and preserver of local history. An Irrigation Festival mainstay. An ambassador for the local business community.
This year’s quintet of finalists for the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 Citizen of the Year Award reach into dozens of community activities, associations and outreaches.
Finalists are Gretha Davis, Dave Shreffler, Judy Reandeau Stipe, Jean Wyatt and (posthumously) Robert Streett.
Chamber officials will announce the winner of this year’s award — and laud all five finalists — at a luncheon at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday at Sunland Golf & Country Club, 109 Hilltop Drive.
RSVPs are required by this Friday. The lunch is $22 per person, or $5 for coffee-tea only.
Reserve a spot by emailing office@sequimchamber.com or calling 360-683-6197.
As in previous years, the 2017 award winner is selected by a group of past Citizen of the Year award recipients.
About the finalists:
Gretha Davis
Davis has been involved with the Dungeness River Audubon Center for many years as a board member, volunteer coordinator, event planner and in-class instructor.
She also is passionate about the removal of Scotch broom from the Olympic Discovery Trail, leading the “Broombusters” in the spring to remove the invasive plants.
Davis also has dedicated significant time to the Sequim Merchants Association, producing Bird Fest Bird Quest for the past few years. The community event is intended to bring together high school students, merchants and the community to support the Olympic Bird Festival and encourage local shopping.
She also volunteered her time during Lavender Weekend and Tour de Lavender. She is a co-leader of the Emerald Highlands Community Emergency Response Team and has been instrumental in encouraging Emerald Highland’s residents to participate in the Map Your Neighborhood program.
She also was involved with the Sequim Centennial Celebration planning committee and has volunteered her time with the Sequim Museum & Arts, New Dungeness Lighthouse Association, Olympic Theatre Arts and the Peninsula Trails Coalition.
Dave Shreffler
Shreffler’s contributions to the community vary. The current president of Sequim Family Advocates, he was instrumental in the creation of the Albert Haller Playfields and eventually bringing the Dungeness Cup youth tournament to Sequim. These efforts also led to assisting the Sequim Picklers in bringing pickleball courts to Sequim.
His involvement extends to organizations such as Citizens for Sequim Schools, the Peninsula Trails Coalition, Boy Scout Troop 1498, the Washington Coast Cleanup program and a number of state, national and international environmental nonprofit organizations.
He also volunteered his time to Olympic National Park, the state Department of Fish & Wildlife, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Dungeness River Audubon Center, North Olympic Land Trust, Five-Acre School and Streamkeepers of Clallam County.
Judy Reandeau Stipe
Stipe, who was a finalist for the 2014 Citizen of the Year award, was nominated for her dedication, enthusiasm and preservation of local history as well as support of the community in her role as volunteer executive director of the Sequim Museum & Arts, the chamber said.
Stipe handles the task of saving the cultural history and 20,000-plus artifacts at the Sequim Museum & Arts and rallying an all-volunteer staff to keep the museum open for public use.
She also was nominated for her involvement in the creation of a veteran’s monument on Sequim Avenue and recent renovations to the Old Dungeness Schoolhouse.
Stipe was instrumental in the recent creation of Sequim Prairie Nights Car Show, a day-long car show and shine in August that benefited nonprofits such as Sequim Museum & Arts and the Sequim Food Bank.
Robert Streett (posthumous)
Streett was nominated for his involvement in a number of community organizations from serving on the North Olympic Library System’s board of trustees, as treasurer for Citizens for Sequim Schools, as a Boy-Scout Troop Leader, youth soccer coach and a Sequim Food Bank volunteer — as well as an ambassador for the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce, where he also was instrumental in leading the networking breakfasts.
Streett, also a member of Sequim Sunrise Rotary, was, according to nomination information, “grounded in the belief of service before self; he felt as though he always needed to give back to the community and be an active member.”
Streett and his son, Robby, were killed in a car crash in Colorado in July 2017.
Jean Wyatt
Wyatt was nominated for her many accomplishments in promoting and preserving the historical small-town feel and quality of life in Sequim, the chamber said.
Those who nominated her say she has been a vital part of the success and growth of the Sequim Irrigation Festival because of her behind-the-scenes support and infrastructure she provides to the organization.
Wyatt, currently the Irrigation Festival treasurer, created the festival’s marketing plan, provided website support, developed operating festival guidelines as well as the many necessary operating processes, contracts, financial and accounting processes.
She has been referred to as the “glue” that keeps the festival in such good standing, nomination forms say.
“She is a silent hero in our community and selflessly donates her time and energy to support many local groups and events,” nomination notes say.
“Despite avoiding the limelight, she is a representative of the area whose purpose is to help their community and be an example to others.”
For more information, see sequimchamber.com.
