Lisa Krecklow, Jan Rippey and Pat Wolfram are the three finalists for the 2021 Wilsonville First Citizen award. This premier volunteer service award is given each year by the Rotary Club of Wilsonville to an individual or couple who lives, works and/or volunteers in Wilsonville.
“Determination defines this group of finalists,” said Rotary Club of Wilsonville President Curt Kipp, who chaired this year’s First Citizen Selection Committee. “We’re living in unusual times. Pat, Jan and Lisa have consistently pushed through obstacles to find new ways to serve the community and make a meaningful impact right here in Wilsonville.”
The seven-member selection committee was made up of community members, Rotarians and past First Citizens. The winner of the First Citizen award will be announced at Set a Course for Service: The 2022 Heart of Gold Dinner and Auction, which this year returns to being a live event. The dinner and live auction will take place starting at 6 p.m. Friday, April 8 at Langdon Farms Golf Club, 24377 N.E. Airport Road, Aurora, Oregon, just south of Wilsonville. There will also be a silent auction online.
Dinner tickets are $60 per person or $450 per table of eight. Details and ways to help are at www.wilsonvilleheart.com.
Event proceeds benefit the Wilsonville Rotary Foundation, which funds the club’s numerous programs throughout the year, including college scholarships, student exchanges, service projects, the summer concerts, the Through A Child’s Eyes programs, omelet breakfasts to raise funds for other groups, and much more.
The finalists were chosen from a group of nominations submitted by community members. The judging panel looks for volunteers who exemplify the Rotary motto of “Service above self,” but honorees more often come from outside the club. “We just want to honor volunteers and recognize service, period,” Kipp said.
Nominations are accepted continuously at www.wilsonvillerotary.com/nominate and are reviewed at the end of every calendar year.
Lisa Krecklow has been involved in Scouts BSA Troop 5194, Wilsonville High School Booster Club, the Wilsonville chapter of P.E.O. International, Wilsonville High School Grad Night 2021 and the Sunshine Division. Without prior scouting experience, she stepped up to be assistant scoutmaster of Troop 5194, the new all-girls troop in Wilsonville, helping it grow during the pandemic. She planned a COVID-safe summer camp for the girls. As a Booster Club member, she and her husband Mike led an effort to restore, retrofit and restock the concessions at Randall Stadium after they had been shuttered for more than a year, so that they could host WHS events as well as those from West Linn on a temporary basis. For the Sunshine Division she has volunteered in their Wilsonville warehouse facility and in delivering food to those experiencing food insecurity. She has served as president for the P.E.O. International Wilsonville chapter FR, a group whose purpose is providing scholarships for young women.
Jan Rippey was the catalyst behind bringing the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program to Wilsonville, which encourages early child literacy by providing a new, free book to participating children up to age 5 every month. She was a devoted early leader and mentor with the high school FIRST Robotics team, negotiating a partnership with the high school. She mentored the Future Hispanic Leaders club at Wilsonville High School, and helped to establish the Wilsonville Robotics Outreach Program, the non-profit arm of the robotics team and served as the treasurer of that group. She advised and assisted the West Linn-Wilsonville School District for several years to help get the International Science and Engineering Fair off to a strong start locally. She also established and led an art literacy program at Boeckman Creek Primary School, with a visiting guest artist leading a school-wide, year-long project. Jan has been a leader with Cub Scouts, Webelos and Girl Scouts and with her church as well.
Pat Wolfram serves as the Director of Community Service for the Rotary Club of Wilsonville and is a past president of the club. He recently completed a year as chairman of the Wilsonville Rotary Foundation. During the pandemic, Pat has worked to establish new partnerships between the club and various community groups, including Habitat for Humanity, the Wilsonville Community Seniors Inc., and the West Linn-Wilsonville School District’s Family Empowerment Center. Additionally, Pat has chaired the Wilsonville Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society on multiple occasions. He is a longtime community volunteer who often can be found setting up events and helping out behind the scenes. He also served on the board of Meridian United Church of Christ, leading them through discussions to resolve the future direction of the congregation.
The Wilsonville First Citizen Award winner for 2021 will join esteemed past winners, the most recent of whom was Elaine Swyt, the winner for 2020. Prior past winners over the past decade include Jake and Dianne McMichael (2019), John Budiao (2018), Jordan Scoggins (2017), Tim Knapp (2016), Jaimy and Sherine Beltran (2015), Donna Bane (2014), Kathryn Whittaker (2013), Jay Puppo (2012) and Dick Spence (2011).