From 1997-2022, through the Ken Gass Community Building Awards, the Board recognized a diverse and outstanding group of individuals, businesses, and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to building community and improving the lives of children, youth, and families. Recipients were recognized not just for their specific acts of caring and service, but also because they embody the values of empowerment, of asset-building, and of respect for human dignity. They reflect our community’s highest values and deepest commitment to the well-being of all members of the community.
The event was typically held each year in early December at the Bellingham Ferry Terminal. It was an open event and all were welcome to attend and join us in community and celebrating those that bring our community together.
- Honorees were nominated by past honorees, community partners and projects, and board members.
- The nominations are then reviewed and selected at a meeting of the Board of Directors.
2022
Legacy Award Recipients:
Byron Manering
Community Building Award Recipients:
- James Hayes
- Jason LaClair
- Kate Haskell
- Daniel Gray
- Dana Crediford
- Ellie Price
- Doreen Richmond
- Amy Rydel
- Rebecca Snearly
- Vesla Tonnessen
- Althea Wilson
- Nancy Workman
- Ham Hayes: IMAGEine MySelf – The Centre for the New Human
- Lorelei Bowers & Lydia McKay: Bridge 2 Services
- Mt. Baker Lanes
- Whatcom Perinatal Mental Health Task Force
- Whatcom Youth Pride Coalition
- Ferndale High School: Future Farmers of America
2021
Legacy Award Recipients:
Anne Deacon
Danita Washington
Community Building Award Recipients:
- Bellingham Childcare & Learning Center
- Generations Forward Family Council
- Margaret Gibson
- Sarah Lane
- Meghan Lever
- Lhaq’temish Foundation
- Lummi Language and Schelangen Department
- Lisa McOmber
- NWIC’s Center for Health Native Connections Program
- NorthWest Therapeutic Riding Center
- Deana Ottum
- Lee Anne Riddle
- Ricardo Sanchez
- Renee Swan Waite
- Susan Taylor
- WDRC’s Mediation Program
- Cynthia Wilson
- Youth Mental Well-Being Influencers – Jazmin Carpenter, Wil Henkel, Kiera Hillaire, Oliver Trulock
2020
Legacy Award Recipient:
Ann Marie Read
Community Building Award Recipients:
- Sandi Heinrich
- Noah Williams
- Rebecca Cayen
- Communities-in-Schools Whatcom/Skagit
- Joel Zamora
- Kaatri Jones
- Betsy Freeman
- Generations Forward Policy Advocacy & Funding Council
- Janne Sleeper
- Rebecca Vigoren
- Emerson McCuin
- Alvaro Vicente
- Char Waller
- Chris Mellick
- Amy Margolis
- Bellingham Public Schools Educational Technology Coaches
- Michelle Goldman
- Masa DeLara
- Heather Jefferson
- Julie Mauermann
- DVSAS Teen Advocacy Team
- Ann Marie Read
- Lara Welker
- Thom Barthlemess
- Marie Eaton
- Sylvia Tag
- Laura Plaut
- Emily O’Connor
Past Honorees of the Ken Gass Community Building Award
2019
Legacy Award Recipient:
Jeff McKenna
Community Building Award Recipients:
- Nancy Barga
- Bellingham Center for Healthy Motherhood
- Bellingham Unity Committee
- Rebecca Boonstra
- Kim Brown
- Enstad Family
- Phil Esau
- Byron Gerard
- Jodi Greene
- The Ground Floor
- Micki Jackson
- Catherine Mahaffey
- Kelsey Ottum
- Raid Relief to Reunite Families
- Elie Samuel
- Lizanne Schader
- Liz Stuart
- VAMOS Outdoors Project
- Whatcom Young Aviators
- Richard Whitson
2018
Legacy Award Recipient:
Darrell Hillaire
Community Building Award Recipients:
- Jason Bergman
- Ronda Breault
- Tony Clark
- Exquisite Erika
- First Congregational Church of Bellingham: The Ground Floor
- Food Justice Fellows
- Friends of the Family Resource Center
- Marta Herrera-Carreon
- Juneteenth Co-Coordinators: Jazzmyn Hannah; Terrance Morris
- Michael Kopf
- Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association
- Jayson Loreen
- Blanca Ortega McCreary
- Erin Meese
- Joe Nolting
- Students For Action
- Erin Suda
- WCLS Point Roberts Library: Stephen T. Falk; Judy Ross
- Bert Webber
- Dustin Willetts
2017
Legacy Award Recipient:
Amy Hockenberry
Community Building Award Recipients:
- Alexa Tucker
- Alzheimer Society of Washington Community Support Team
- Bellingham Alternative Library
- 2017 Birchwood PTA Executive Board
- Carl McDaniel
- Christopher and Christine Perkins
- Death Café
- Interfaith Coalition’s Family Promise Planning & Development Team
- Jared Ibarra Del Bosque
- Jeffrey Margolis
- Joe Wooding
- LAW Advocates
- Lisa “Page” Page
- Michelle Hanks
- Ron and Doreen Wiebe
- Social Action Club
- Tammy Bennett
- Travis Tennessen
- Wildhood Outdoor and Place-Based Micropreschool and Kindergarten Programs
2016
Legacy Award Recipient:
Astrid Newell
Community Building Award Recipients:
- Airings: The Voices of Youth
- Bellingham Food Bank
- Blaine Community Meals
- Carol Oberton
- Cordata Families Matter
- Denise McFarlane
- Engedi Refuge
- Growing Veterans
- Ian Bivins
- Jana Finkbonner
- Jennifer Teigrob
- Jessica Bee
- Jewell Praying Wolf James
- Leslie Jackson
- Lummi Indian Business Council
- Matthew Thuney
- Nancy Giordano
- Naomi Ban
- Ray Wolpow
- Rebecca Kinley
- Shred Fest: Shuksan Be@s
- Spring Youth Farmers Market
- YMCA’s ACT! Actively Changing Together
2015
Legacy Award Recipient:
Geof Morgan
Community Building Award Recipients:
- April Barker
- Bob Blakeslee
- Cyndie and Bruce Shepard
- Doug Banner
- Jill Iwasaki
- Julia Raider
- JustServe.org
- Kelly Morgan
- Love, Inc.
- Mark Kelly
- Marlene Maskornic
- Mehar Singh
- Nooksack Valley School District – Resilience Initiative
- Nora Short
- Sandy Stork
- Sean Flikke
- Sheila Rhodes
- Skookum House
- Steve Morse
- Swil Kanim
- Terrill Saunders
- The Samish Way Coalition
- Veronica Velez
- Viry Bulgarini
- Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center
2014
Community Building Award Recipients:
- Ashley Benem
- Becky Diaz
- Betsy Hasegawa
- Capt. Sean Farnand
- Cayley Schmid
- Communities in Schools of Whatcom County
- Enrique Lopez
- Girls on the Run
- Jane Meddick
- John D’Onofrio
- Jon Dalgarn
- Josselyn Winslow
- Kathy Adams
- LaVonne Sterling-Chu
- Linda Quinn
- Lisa Moulds
- Marie Eaton
- Mount Baker Council BSA
- Palliative Care Initiative
- Robert Sarazin Blake
- Shelley Macy
- Squalicum Health Alliance
- Tanja Rojas
- Whatcom County 4-H
2013
- Anjali Englund
- Anne Welsh
- Beth Chisholm
- Charlie Walkinshaw
- East County Community Council
- Gabriel’s Art Kids
- Glenn Hergenhahn
- Heather Jefferson
- Jeff McKenna
- Kate Foster
- Kathe Koruga
- Luis Dominguez
- Masa DeLara
- Nelson’s Market
- Paul Klein
- Retha McAfee
- Tim Costello
2012
- Animals as Natural Therapy
- Byron Manering
- Ciao Thyme
- Community Food Coop & The Market
- Diane Helke
- Janae Hodge
- Jeff Smith
- Joe Fuller
- Laura Cota-Gutierrez
- Leslie Adamson
- Lori French
- Maria Timmons Flores
- Melanie Moumblow
- Moriah Jansky
- Neighborhood Anti-Crime Team
- Pastor Mike Brody
- Principal Georgia Dellinger
- Roger Griffith
- Shirley Williams
- Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Advancement
2010-11
- Bellingham & Ferndale Farmers Markets
- Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro
- Dennis D’Amelio
- Detective Allan Jensen
- Elizabeth Jennings
- Isabel Meaker
- Jeff Littlejohn
- Kristen French
- Latino Action Team
- Lyndie Case
- Michelle Rautenberg
- Misty Kopplin
- Pam Kuntz
- Project Homeless Connect
- Ron Tso
- Rosalinda Guillen
- Sharece Steinkamp
- Shasta Cano-Martin
- Whatcom Health Dept – Co-Communication Project
- Woods Coffee
2009
- Amy’s Place
- Autumn Boyle
- AVID at Shuksan
- Birchwood Elementary School
- Brenda Martinez
- Cameron Garcia
- Colleen Haggerty
- Everybody’s Store
- Family to Family Advisory Team
- Garden Committee of Birchwood Neighborhood Assn
- Iris Maute-Gibson
- Jim Pace
- Kathy Hilmoe-Nevels
- Linda Stewart
- Lindsey Karas
- Lucy Morse
- Manuel Padilla
- Milt’s Pizza Place
- Old Town Café
- Pastor Phil Petrasek
- Paul Ridley
- Rafael Retana
- Raquel Montoya-Lewis
- Rhonda Roosma
- Ruth Droullard
- Stephanie Twiford
- Teresa Quinn
2008
- Andrea Turner
- Anita Stolpe
- Broadway Youth Center Steering Committee
- Cecily Hazelrigg-Hernandez
- Cheryl Brown
- Danita Washington
- Darrell Hillaire
- Dennis D’Amelio
- Gary Jensen
- Gene Tagabon
- Joan Myers
- Kevin DeVere
- Latino Fest – Whatcom Hispanic Organization
- Matt Magrath
- Pickford Cinema
- Rainbow Center
- Rhonda Schaffer
- Richard Scholtz
- S.O.C.K. Club
- Shala Crow
- St. Luke’s Health Education Center
- Swil Kanim
- Viktor Vetkov
- Whatcom Early Learning Systems Network
2007
- Bellingham Herald
- Beth Brownfield
- Bob Jones
- Cathy Haskell
- Community to Community Development
- Cowden Gravel
- Deb McGovern
- Dick Christensen
- Elaine Lynch
- Flip Breskin
- Janet Davis
- Jean Rogers
- Jeremy Tenkley
- Jim DeGolier
- Kara Black
- Kathy Ramsay
- Lyubasha & Len Boyko
- Maria Velez
- Paddle to Lummi
- Steve Clarke
- Tim Crandall
- Tutu Iverson
- Whatcom Education Credit Union
- Williams Pipeline
- WWU-Bellingham Campus Community Coalition
2006
- A Little Darling School
- Barbara Leveque
- Bernadette Davidson
- Carmen Bland
- David Dopps
- Home Depot – Bellingham
- Maggi Kriger
- Mallard Ice Cream
- Margaret Jahn
- Mary Jo Durborow
- Michael Novotny
- Talia London
- Tom Grinstad
- Tori Raiguel
- Trula Nicholas
- Victor Nolet
- Whatcom County Family Treatment Court
- Whatcom County Interagency Coordinating Council
2005
- Baron Miller
- Becky Robertson
- Donna Matthews
- Ethnic Students Association – WCC
- Ferndale Thanksgiving Meal
- Joy Jesters
- Juanita Jefferson
- Kevin Moore
- Laura Johnson
- Law Advocates
- Randy Kaech
- Tami Chock
- Thrivent For Lutherans
- Tom Hunter
- Village Books
2004
- Angus McLane
- Annie Taylor
- Bellingham Housing Authority
- Bill Dehmer
- Charlotte Anderson
- Cheryl Reed
- City of Everson
- Community Food Coop
- Elisa Becerra
- Greg Pesho
- Lisa Fisher
- Misty Oldham
- Rob Werner
- Roosevelt Neighborhood Resource Center Steering Committee
- Samuel Tso
- Service Integration Access Point Teams – Blaine Family Service Center
- Service Integration Access Point Teams – Family Resource Team
- Service Integration Access Point Teams – Kendall/Mt. Baker Readiness To Learn
- Service Integration Access Point Teams – The Opportunity Council
- Trudy Shuravloff
- Whatcom Community Foundation
2003
- Community Services Office and Dept of Children and Family Services
- Cornwall Church
- Favinger Plumbing
- Foster Parent Program – Bellingham Police Department
- Hilde Schaff
- Janis Willis
- Julianna Kindland-Carpenter
- Kendall Community Center Steering Committee
- Our Savior’s Lutheran Church
- Sharlaine LaClaire
2002
- Bellingham Schools – Best SELF
- Brown and Cole Stores
- Bruce Brabec
- Eric Hoyle
- Jeff Littlejohn
- Jennifer Lewis
- Kate Nichols
- Lora Stoeckl
- Lucy Morse
- Monica Collyott
- Sergio Moreno
- Thomas Wilson
- Wendy Hillaire
2001
- STAR Task Force – Drug-Free Youth Youth Progam Leaders
- Vicki Hubner
- Wal-Mart
- Whatcom County Community Network
2000
- Community Health Outreach Workers (CHOW) Team Members
- Dave Erickson
- Marcy Bartelds
- Megan Dougherty
- Richard Maneval
- South Fork Community Center
- Wendy Scherrer
- Whatcom Hispanic Organization & WSU Cooperative Extension/4H (Computer Training Program)
1999
- Bellingham Skate Board Park
- Matt Beck
- Teen Court
1997-98
- Brigid Collins
- Brigid Flynn-Sevier
- Courtney Sawyer
- Diane Hill
- James Marx
- Joni Hensley
- Judy Lantis
- Lois Woll
- Louie Gong
- Ross Peters
- United for Youth
- Yvonne Vandermolen
