Volunteer Appreciation

Volunteer Appreciation 2023

Certificates were handed out to those present. Certificates will be at the society for about two weeks if you earned one.

Nearly 60 people were honored because of their volunteering or donating to the
society. We are grateful to these people as we could not fulfill our mission without all this help. Thank you.

We would like to honor four of these volunteers by adding their names to the quilt (now a banner). Elaine Meis, Tanaka Axberg, Sheree’ Belanger and Sandy Thompson
have been added to the bookshelf this year.

Elaine Meis not only helps with the library, but also volunteered to do the embroidery on our quilt/banners. Elaine also helped digitize the vertical files.

Tanaka Axberg has been working with the library group to do various things. We thank you for doing this. We appreciate your dedication and hard work.

Sheree’ Belanger has been leading the Family Tree Maker Focus Group.

Sandy Thompson digitized and updated our Pioneer files and has been rebinding our CCGS collection of marriage, cemetery and newspaper vital/obituary books. A member since 1981, we are especially proud of her achievements.

In 2022, we ran out of space on our Appreciation Quilt and Jane’s embroidery
machine broke. So we just had our Volunteer Appreciation without any Quilt. In 2022 and 2023, banners were created to make room for honoring more names. Added was a cake for those helping with the 50th anniversary, two members helping with the cemetery project, a new bookshelf to honor volunteers and a new scroll to thank donors for their monetary contribution. Elaine Meis stepped forward to embroider the names on the banners.

There isn’t enough room here to list all the honored volunteers. Please stop by the library to view the quilt/banner, and to pick up a copy of the volunteer brochure.

Volunteer Appreciation 2022

Donna Ten Eyck was one of the first to come back to help at CCGS after Covid shut us down and she has kept busy every since!

Denise Erkkila was winner of the scavenger hunt this year as well being a librarians and using her wonderful research skills with library and writing for the Trail Breakers.

Jerry Smith He interviewed people remembering what it was like in the seventies for our 50th. You can see his product on YouTube under Clark County Research Library.

Among volunteers who have kept working diligently this year are:

Brian Runyan who triple hits as Legacy Chair, Education Chair, and Library Committee and helped getting FamilySearch connections going..

Steve Young who was Vice-President, Tech. support, set ups, and took photos at the 50th celebration.

Mary McMonegal who has continued to help the society by keeping us connected with the This Week at CCGS weekly blurb.

Alice Allen who took over the Newsletter after Pat Bauer (who recently died) and Gene Keuchmann.

Elsie Deatherage who kept the society up-to-date with speakers, this year on-line.

Kay Cooke whose expertise at getting the word out to various news papers and societies was invaluable PR.

Lowell Kenedy was not only our treasurer, but our unfocused genealogy leader.

One special pair of volunteers are Richard Engstrom and Kathy Manning Geyer. They are finding family information for those buried in the Vancouver Old City Cemetery. They will have their name added to the quilt under that title.

Of course, we could not operate without our hard working librarians led by Sharon Theismeyer. She had a wealth of awesome help: Lois Bosland, Sharon Cleveland, Maria Adler, Sharon Barnes, Christine Maitland and Sandy Thompson who has just become Volunteer Coordinator. Brian Runyan was instrumental in expanding our relationship with FamilySearch.

Other volunteers who put in at least 100 hours of volunteer time: Steve Aberle, Barbara Baker, Jane Germann, Marcia Grubb, Eric Jordal, Dolly Merrick, and Paula Schoenlein.

Please let us know if you were missed. We wish to honor you also.

Donors:

There were at least 45 donors this year. Sophia Barr, Robert & Ruth Burns, Harry S. Gamble, and Mary Orange are new this year and will have their names added to the quilt in special recognition.

Among those getting a star added to their name this year are: Maria Adler, Kathleen Alvick, Jeanine Bailiff, Barbara Baker, Bauman-Williams Family Fund, Nancy Lee Benthin, Lois Bosland, Cheryl Brooks, Shirley Brown, Sharon Cleveland, Colf Family Foundation, Robert and Kay Cooke, Marian J. Crawford, Larry Dean, Dale and Elsie Deatherage, Patricia Dixon and Marilyn Martinyak, Tom Dudley, Richard Engstrom, Ralph Erickson, Thomas Farrelly, Karen Front, Larry and Jane Germann, Kathleen Geyer, April Hess and John Mills, Donald and Sharon Houck, Eric Jordahl, Lowell Kenedy, Marian Kenedy, Dough and Rodie Lasher, Susan Lenski, Christine Maitland, Mary McMonegal, Janice Oliva, Walker and Roma Paynter, Kara Lynn and Edward Rankin, Bea and Lyman Ritter, Judith L. Rogers, Judy Swatosh, Ducan Tanner, LynnRosemary Tolle, and William and Sandra Whalley.

We so appreciate the support that our donors give us. It allows us to continue operating CCGS for people who are researching their family.

Thank you, you wonderful volunteers!