The Rotary Club of Wilsonville announced Lyn Whelchel as the newest Wilsonville First Citizen at The Magic of Service: The 2025 Heart of Gold Gala & Auction on Friday night, April 18.
“This year’s First Citizen is a great example of the Rotary Motto, ‘Service Above Self’,” 2024-25 Club President Mike Bishop said. “The years of dedication to serving our community members in need, as well as adopting into her own family and assisting other adoptive families, speak to Lyn’s heart to serve. In fact, as is true every year, all our finalists are certainly worthy of our esteem and gratitude for the work they do to make our community, and our world, a better place. Our club is so proud to have to opportunity to receive nominations, deliberate through committee, and name First Citizen Finalists a well as Wilsonvilles’ First Citizen. Thank you to all who participated.”
Lyn serves as the only director in the history of Heart of the City, which was founded by Grace Chapel to provide marginalized populations with needed resources, including food, personal items, clothing, counseling, recovery services, financial assistance and more. She stepped up to assist victims of the Oregon wildfires in 2000. She has served as a foster and adoptive parent and teaches classes for prospective foster and adoptive parents, helping others navigate their journey and ensuring future generations are raised in nurturing and supportive environments.
Wilsonville First Citizen is an annual award given since 2001 to recognize a local community member for their exceptional volunteer service. Also recognized as finalists for the award this year were Charbonneau volunteer Mary Fieweger, former Wilsonville mayor Julie Fitzgerald, and Coffee Creek Correctional Facility volunteers Stan and Julia Satter. A committee made up of Rotary and other Wilsonville community leaders reviewed the nominations that were received from the community. Any adult or couple that works, lives or volunteers in Wilsonville is eligible. Nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis at WilsonvilleRotary.com/nominate.
All of the past First Citizens are listed on a monument in the Rotary Rose Garden in Town Center Park, and Brad’s name will be added there. Prior First Citizen honorees include Brad Hansen (2023), Tammy Sue Bradley (2022), Lisa Krecklow (2021), Elaine Swyt (2020), Jake and Dianne McMichael (2019), John Budiao (2018), Jordan Scoggins (2017), Tim Knapp (2016), Sherine Beltran (2015), Jaimy Beltran (2015), Donna Bane (2014), Kathryn Whittaker (2013), Jay Puppo (2012), Dick Spence (2011), Debi Laue (2010), Lonnie and Julie Gieber (2009), Anne Easterly (2008), Theonie Gilmore (2007), Laura LaJoie Bishop (2006), Sue Ludlow (2005), John Ludlow (2005), Charlotte Lehan (2005), Alan Kirk (2004), Doris Wehler (2003), Bob and Judy Woodle (2002), and Ron Anderson (2001).
This year’s Heart of Gold theme was “The Magic of Service” playing off of this year’s Rotary International presidential theme of “The Magic of Rotary.”
Besides honoring Wilsonville’s First Citizen, Heart of Gold event serves as the main fundraiser for the Wilsonville Rotary Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Money is raised through sponsorships, auction purchases, donations, raffle and game tickets, dinner tickets and other contributions that night.
The Wilsonville Rotary Foundation, in turn, provides funding for the numerous service projects conducted or supported by the Rotary Club of Wilsonville, including:
- Wilsonville Rotary Summer Concerts — These four Thursday evening concerts, held in July and August, provide top quality, family-friendly musical entertainment for the community. Donations are accepted to benefit polio eradication through End Polio Now and youth services. Going back to 2007, our club has raised more than $108,000 for this cause. This year’s shows will be July 17, July 24, July 31 and August 7.
- Through A Child’s Eyes (TACE) — This two-day annual event at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility for adults in custody and their children strengthens families and breaks the negative intergenerational cycles that lead to incarceration.
- Good Eggs Omelet and Pancake Breakfasts — These “all hands” breakfasts typically help raise funds for local schools and other worthy causes, but sometimes they just feed hungry volunteers (Wilsonville WERK Day) or honor veterans (annual Veterans Day breakfast at Charbonneau).
- Rotary Youth Exchange — We send local students abroad and host international students in Wilsonville on both short-term and long-term (full school year) exchanges.
- College Scholarships — We support the next generation of strong citizens and community leaders by funding $7500 in scholarships annually for graduates from Wilsonville area high schools.
- Community Service Projects — Our Community Service Committee identifies, organizes and executes opportunities to help the community with one-time and ongoing projects, working with partners such as Habitat for Humanity, the Wilsonville Library Foundation, the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, and many others.
- Under 40 Fellowship — We have created an Under 40 (U40) Fellowship that leads its own projects and holds its own events, in an effort to bring younger members into the club.
- Support of Scouting America — We sponsor one Scout troop and two Cub Scout packs in Wilsonville.
- Human Trafficking Awareness — We have launched an effort to build awareness of human trafficking in our area and help prevent it.
- Peacebuilding — The Rotary Club of Wilsonville is an official Peacebuilder Club and has installed three Rotary Peace Poles in the Wilsonville community. They are located at Town Center Park, Wilsonville City Hall, and Wilsonville High School. (A fourth is located at Wilsonville Public Library.) Additional Peace Poles are slated to be installed in the future. We are joining the effort to create an Oregon peace trail from Portland to Ashland and have Wilsonville be a part of it by becoming an international peace city.
The club also supports international service projects conducted throughout the world by the Wilsonville club and other area clubs, and responds to certain needs as they arise.
“Seeing our community come together to both celebrate our 50th Anniversary and our First Citizen Finalists and honoree was fun and memorable,” Bishop said. “Experiencing everyone’s generosity to support our efforts to stop human ttrafficking and grow our youth services, as well as supporting other Rotary programs in our community and in the world, was truly inspiring. As President, on behalf of our club, I’d like to thank our sponsors, partners, and most importantly all the people that make Wilsonville great!”
First Citizen nominations are accepted on an ongoing basis at WilsonvilleRotary.com/Nominate, so people are always welcome to submit a nomination for the next deserving Wilsonville First Citizen. For further information or any questions, please contact Mike Bishop at 503-519-5991 or President@WilsonvilleRotary.com.
About Rotary — Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 36,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. Through Rotary’s disease treatment and prevention programs, members educate and equip communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. For more information, visit Rotary.org
About the Rotary Club of Wilsonville — The Rotary Club of Wilsonville was founded in 1975 and is dedicated to friendship and service projects. The club carries out several signature service projects throughout the year, including the innovative Through A Child’s Eyes program at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, the annual Wilsonville Rotary Summer Concerts, several Good Eggs omelet and pancake breakfasts throughout the year, the Wilsonville First Citizen awards program, and much more. The club meets weekly, Thursdays at 11:45 a.m. at Black Bear Diner, and has 40 members. Log on to WilsonvilleRotary.com for more information.