The Rotary Club of Wilsonville has announced the finalists for the 2020 Wilsonville First Citizen award, the premier volunteer service award given each year to an individual or couple who lives, works and/or volunteers in Wilsonville. Each finalist was selected based on their active engagement in the Wilsonville community which improves the lives and well-being of its residents. This year’s finalists for the prestigious award are:
Elaine Swyt: Long time Charbonneau resident and highly engaged volunteer in both community and non-profit organizations including Clackamas County Cultural Coalition; Wilsonville Arts, Culture, and Heritage Strategy Task Force; Charbonneau Art Festival; Boys and Girls Aid Cypress Branch; and CharbonneauLive.com
Lyn Whelchel: Wilsonville leader and advocate for our city’s marginalized population who works and volunteers to reach those in need through Heart of the City, Grace Chapel, From Where I Stand, Wilsonville Community Sharing, DHS, St. Vincent dePaul and Canby Pregnancy Center
Aaron Woods: Prominent community leader at both the neighborhood, local and regional level who serves a variety of demographics through organizations including Wilsonville Meadows Homeowner’s Association City of Wilsonville, National Cristina Foundation, Clackamas Community College and Wilsonville Alliance for Inclusive Communities.
Joe Schwab serves as president of the Rotary Club of Wilsonville and chair of the First Citizen Committee for the 2020–21 year. “During this year that brought our community so much adversity, we are extremely proud to present these exemplary community leaders,” he said. “Each of our finalists have impacted our community in unique and meaningful ways to make Wilsonville a better place. We fully understand the level of commitment each of these individuals has made amidst the global scene in which 2020 brought us, and we are incredibly thankful”
The First Citizen finalists will be honored, and a winner announced, at Give Together: Heart of Gold 2021 Auction and Awards Night. The event will be held starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 25. This will be the 20th annual Heart of Gold celebration, which was started in 2002 to honor Wilsonville’s community leaders who enrich the lives of all local residents. It is also the Rotary Club’s largest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from the event support numerous Wilsonville Rotary Foundation projects, including: local omelet breakfasts to raise funds for schools; the Interact service Club at Wilsonville High School; Chess Clubs at Wilsonville Schools; Through A Child’s Eyes, a partnership with Coffee Creek Correctional Facility that strengthens families and helps female inmates make important connections with their children before and after release; the free Wilsonville Rotary Summer Concerts for residents and fund raiser for End Polio Now; college scholarships for Arts & Tech and Wilsonville high school graduates; the international student exchange program; and several other international projects aiding communities. Although this year’s Heart of Gold will look very different, it will still highlight the various
impactful programs of Rotary, highlight the three finalists, and include an abbreviated auction. The First Citizen will also be announced and recognized during the online event.
Elaine Swyt has been a truly indispensable volunteer to many groups and organizations in Wilsonville. Not only does Elaine devote and incredible amount of time to the various organizations in which she serves, the quality of work she contributes is highly praised. Because of her highly technical experience, she has been very effective at helping the organizations she in which she is involved transition to a virtual environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially helping organizations hold online fundraising events to continue their efforts. She is currently Secretary for the Clackamas County Cultural Coalition, VIce President of the Charbonneau Arts Association, Board Chair for the Boys and Girls Club Auction, Chair of the Charbonneau Women’s Association, Founder of the CharbonneauLive.com, Board Member of the Charbonneau Golf Club, and past served on the Wilsonville Tourism Task Force as well as the Wilsonville Parks and Recreation Board.
Lyn Whelchel epitomizes service each day in both her professional life and her volunteerism. Through her role at Heart of the City, she impacts the most marginalized of Wilsonville’s population through services such as rent and utility assistance, sanitary products, charging stations, prescription and eye glass service as well as mental health and addiction services. She also runs the annual “Gear up For School Event” which provides school supplies to 300 of Wilsonville’s most vulnerable students and “Share the Warmth” event that annual provides around 700 coats to our houseless population. Outside of her work at Heart of the City, she is also involved with DHS as someone who adopted 5 children from the foster care system, she know volunteers as a trainer leading classes for prospective parents. She also founded “From Where I Stand,” an safe on line community for those who have suffered and left abusive situations. This community now serves over 250 people who are now living more fruitful lives.
Aaron Woods is a community volunteer that serves at a variety of levels from his neighborhood up to
the regional and national level. Especially poignant is his work to make Wilsonville a more inclusive
community, and a better place to live for all of it citizens. He serves the Wilsonville Meadows HOA on
their board, and has been on countless Wilsonville Boards and Commissions including Culture and
Heritage Task Force, Wilsonville Citizen’s Academy, Parks and Recreation Board, Development Review
Board, and Planning Commission. He is a co-founder of the Wilsonville Alliance for Inclusive
Communities and has worked tirelessly over the last year to make sure we are a community that values
diversity of every kind. Through this work, he has worked with Wilsonville Police Department to advance
the idea of a Citizen’s Review Board and also participated in the city’s listening session on Diversity,
Equity and inclusion. He also serves on the Board of Clackamas Community College as well as on the
Board for National Cristina Foundation, an organization that connects schools, non-profit organizations
and other community organizations with free technology provide and sponsored by local businesses.
Heart of Gold information: “Although we usually gather with a few hundred other community members for this event, this year will look different,” says Foundation President Pat Wolfram, who is co-chair of this year’s event. ” We still hope to gather with our community to celebrate and recognize the programs of Rotary and our First Citizen finalists.” Although there isn’t a cost for this year’s event, we still ask people to register at www.wilsonvilleheart.com.