Chuck Kifer has been named Centralia’s 2024 Volunteer of the Year.
It was the highlight of the night after a packed house at Centralia City Hall’s city council chambers on Tuesday, Jan. 28, gathered for the presentation of the 2024 Centralia Volunteer Recognition Awards.
Volunteers gave up their time, labor and equipment last year doing everything from picking up trash to helping repair the historic Fort Borst Blockhouse.
The awards were created in 2022 by former Centralia City Councilor Elizabeth Cameron, who was also in attendance Tuesday night.
“At the time, I was a city councilor focused on serving the public, and I asked myself, ‘How could I make a positive difference and give the community something long-lasting that they would benefit directly from for years to come?’” Cameron said. “I thought about all the volunteers who give their time and talent, which reflects their community spirit and is evident in the city through different events, recreation and parks, cleanup, schools, health care, restoration of Centralia’s historical gems and the homeless, among others.”
Cameron also said Centralia’s volunteers give so the rest of its residents can “love where they live.”
“Many thanks to all who may or may not be named or listed,” Cameron said.
Those who receive the awards must be nominated by another Centralia resident as the councilors are not allowed to make nominations.
Councilor Max Vogt handed out the awards during Tuesday’s Centralia City Council meeting, announcing Kifer as Centralia’s 2024 Volunteer of the Year.
“This man worked on the Blockhouse and donated crew members to help,” Vogt said. “He also serves on the (Centralia) Planning Commission, which as I said before is a years-long commitment. He also serves on the Historic (Preservation) Commission. And he’s kind of close to our heart here on the council … He comes to almost every city council meeting. For a long time, he’s done this, and he rarely misses. When I first saw him, I didn’t know who he was, and he just kept coming and coming, and I thought, ‘Maybe he’s staff,’” Vogt said. “He’s not. He’s just a person who is very dedicated to his community. We love having him here, and he’s an example of a citizen who really gets involved.”
The other nominees who received a 2024 Centralia Volunteer Recognition Award Tuesday include:
• Chuck Kifer’s construction crew, Peter Lahmann, Brian Dow, Paul Olson, Scott Tenant and Lee and Bonnie Coumbs for volunteering their time, labor and equipment for the Blockhouse repairs conducted to replace rotting wood in the structure.
• Curt Ivie, owner of A Glass Enterprise Inc., who donated windows to replace the windows vandalized at the historic Borst Home and conducted repairs to 18 windows in total on the structure, along with volunteering in Chehalis and replacing a broken window at the Lewis County Historical Museum.
• Brian Mittge, Judy Bell, Thomas Ralls and Ann Tuning and the rest of the members of the Friends of Seminary Hill Natural Area, along with David Jensen, who also volunteers cleaning Washington Park and Seminary Hill.
• Jakob McGhie, Sybil Kuhn, Beth Sweeney, Jackie Franks, Bonnie Coumbs, Holly Stidham and Chuck Kifer for their work volunteering to serve the four-year terms on the Centralia Planning Commission.
• Lewis County Master Gardeners member Jeannette Lawson and the rest of the Master Gardeners, who tend the many demonstration gardens at Borst Park along with educating the public.
• Friends of the Centralia Timberland Library member Kieran Dong for stepping up this past year and being the organization’s treasurer and secretary.
• ROOTED in Lewis County member and Centralia College advisor Luján Rodríguez, who co-founded ROOTED, helps organize Centralia’s Juneteenth and Pride events along with handing out banned books, volunteering to help with Centralia’s Founder’s Day celebration on top of being an educator.
• The Borst Arboretum Botanical Society members, including Rick Blum, Kathy Cunnane, Brad Ford and his crew, who are working to ID all the trees in Borst Park, removing hazardous trees, planting new trees and working to educate the public on the trees in the arboretum.
• Centralia High School teacher Danette Jones and the nearly 60 students who volunteered to pick up garbage alongside her and the around 30 other students and school staff who helped her rake leaves for many local homes.
• Jean Bluhm, Beverly York and their crew maintaining and running the historic Borst Home, organizing school tours and making new public information signs about the Borst Home.
• Alicia Haney, Justin Zenkner, MacKenzie McGee, Rebecca Staebler, Jan Nontell, Edna Fund and Dawn Merchant for their work in the Centralia Downtown Association organizing the many events benefiting downtown businesses.
• Michael Klemola “who is a superstar” for his work picking up trash around the city.
• Fuchsia Fanciers member Jeryl Fuchs, who tends to the fuchsia garden near Borst Park Kitchen No. 2, along with the rest of the members of the Fuchsia Fanciers.
• Lorna Shelton, who volunteers at Borst Park, the local food pantry, helps people register to vote and works to help those experiencing homelessness in Centralia.
To view the 2022 Centralia Volunteer Recognition Award winners, read The Chronicle’s coverage at https://tinyurl.com/xc6yjakk. For the 2023 winners, visit https://tinyurl.com/5dx7y3x4.
