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Community Corner

4 Volunteers Win Champion Awards

They help support health and human service needs

Four volunteers have won 2012 White River Communities Champion Awards from the White River Families First Coalition. The coalition promotes partnerships that support the health and human service needs of individuals, youth and families.

Ann Trullinger has been a volunteer with the Ida Marge Guild and active in local fundraising for Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital since 1972. She serves on the Rainier Foothills Community Health Network steering committee with the Enumclaw Regional Healthcare Foundation. A long-time senior center volunteer, she was instrumental in bringing new senior housing to Buckley, involved in everything from the purchase of the land to the details of the housing complex. She has been a Buckley Fire Department volunteer and serves on the Citizens for a Better Buckley board. She helped get the new fire station on the ballot and was instrumental with the EMS levy.

Trullinger also is active in the food backpack program at her church, which provides weekend food for children on the free and reduced lunch program in schools. She is involved in the church quilt group that makes blankets for veterans, quilts for children, the fire department aid car, and WIC, as well as pillowcases for children at Mary Bridge.

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John McArtor has been a teacher his entire life, even though he is not certified. He serves as a volunteer tutor in the White River High School’s Connections Program. He has volunteered thousands of hours of service in the last 15 years to this program alone. McArtor also is a volunteer for the high school’s knowledge bowl team, the resident expert on geography and world events.

Three years ago, when Village Tutors made its home at the Buckley Youth Center, Bob Howie and Mark Thompson became champions to White River students. Bob Howie made a personal investment of his time and energy to establish Village Tutors in Buckley, expanding tutoring services in the district, enlisting volunteers, developing a summer math camp, and obtaining resources to create and maintain a computer lab at the Buckley Youth Center.

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Thompson has also been there since the beginning, volunteering with Village Tutors three evenings per week. He has also served as the interim Youth Center Coordinator. A musician, he offered his band’s services to play at the Buckley Youth Center auction.

Information provided by Monica Gaub, co-facilitator, White River Families First Coalition

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