Valley Volunteers 2024

Volunteers make the valley go round

Each year as we produce the Valley Volunteers section, it becomes clear how full of care, compassion and passion people are. Those who give abundantly of their time do so because they care about their neighbors and the ecosystem.

In this edition we profile individuals and groups working hard on projects that will make the valley a better place.

Volunteering is a great way to broaden your worldview, get experience at new things and explore possible career paths. Viry Hernandez (page 6) is doing all those things, and she says volunteering is something she does as she seeks to find her place in the world. The 17 members of the 4-H Citizenship Club (page 12) pitch in once a month to work on projects like home building, food service and seed gathering. And Scouts of all ages contribute to the Jackson Cupboard (page 7) by Scouting for Food each fall.

Young Life encourages young people with high-fives, inspirational

quotes and tasty snacks (page 14), letting young athletes know they care.

The News&Guide staff is tasked with choosing a Super Volunteer each year, and it’s a subjective decision. All of the 24 nominees are worthy, doing incredible work for their fellow denizens. Ultimately we chose June McCollister for her three decades of tireless work untangling the Medicare and Medicaid systems for people who need health care (page 8).

After a pandemic hiatus, the Special Olympics Winter Games are back, and the show couldn’t go on without a full complement of volunteers like Ryan Blair, Lalan Dewey, Kip Hanich and Keri Wheeler (see page 3).

And in Wilson, community members have banded together to advocate for themselves within county and state governments, and to beef up and repair existing amenities within the unincorporated settlement.

We invite you to join us in celebrating the valley’s dedicated volunteers, and to consider where you might fit if you have time to invest.

— Johanna Love

PUBLISHER: Adam Meyer

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Johanna Love

MANAGING EDITOR: Rebecca Huntington

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Volunteers allow SOWY athletes to shine

People support special education students in this year’s winter games.

By Kyle Leverone

Former special education teacher and administrator Kip Hanich says that if anyone wants to deepen their comprehension of the spirit of competition, they should attend a Special Olympics event.

The Special Olympics Wyoming Winter Games, held last month in Jackson Hole, is a pure form of sport. Athletes enjoy putting their hard work and training to the test and competing against their peers, and through it all, an unbridled sense of enjoyment spreads across those athletes.

That’s why the Special Olympics volunteers offer up their time, to catch a glimpse of authentic competition and to support these athletes in trying to reach their full athletic potential.

According to president and CEO of Special Olympics Wyoming, Jen Haines, close to 300 athletes, coaches, volunteers and unified partners came out to Jackson for the Winter Games, with about 150 of them being athletes. Four sports — cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, alpine skiing and snowboarding — were available for all competitors. They could choose to participate alone or with a unified partner, someone without a disability who joins an athlete to make a tandem team.

It truly takes a village to put these games on.

“Our volunteers are such an important part of Special Olympics Wyoming,” Haines said, “we really could not put on any of our programs, services, competitions, any of the teams that we have, we could not do that without the help of volunteers.”

So who are these volunteers?

Keri Wheeler is a local pediatrician and has taken care of many of these athletes involved with Special Olympics in the 19 years since she moved to Jackson. After working with them in a professional setting, she decided this year that she would volunteer at the Winter Games for the first time.

As someone who has a family member with Down Syndrome, she remembers how important these events were for her relative, and as someone who has a background in Nordic skiing, the choice was clear for Wheeler. She would volunteer with the Nordic races.

“I love getting to interact with all of my patients outside of the office,” Wheeler said, “so it seemed like a great way to get to see the kids that I take care of and celebrate a really fun event with them.”

A Jackson native, Ryan Blair is getting back into volunteering with

Special Olympics Wyoming after volunteering in his early 20s. This time around, he’ll be with his fiancee Lalan Dewey, who had worked with the organization for about five years before the global pandemic in 2020.

When he was a student, Blair had several classmates with disabilities. He said he was drawn to them and created bonds. As a volunteer this year, his goal was to just stay out of the way, remain in the background, help the Winter Games run, and let the athletes shine.

“The willpower and drive and the strength and courage that these men and women and young kids have to participate and to compete is extraordinary,” Blair said. “Whatever I can do to help them achieve as much as possible and give them the opportunity to compete as well, I’ll be ready.”

These athletes are members of the

Jackson Hole community. Some are more well-known, but there are many other people with disabilities whose names are not as familiar. Whoever it is, inclusivity should be a staple in any community, especially one that runs on sports and outdoor experiences.

“They’re members of our community,” Blair said. “That’s the biggest thing. We all need to come together and do whatever we can for each other. And the only way to really be a community is to support and love one another.”

Special Olympics Wyoming fosters that sense of belonging, but one of its main focuses is the competition itself. Everyone likes to feel included, but everyone also likes to win.

“I think a lot of people see Special Olympics as more of a charity-based type of event,” Haines said. “And certainly there are a lot of feel-good moments, but really, our focus is sports and the level of competition that our athletes are able to compete at their highest possible level and really train to do their best, so we really make sure that the sport piece is absolutely emphasized.”

Hanich has seen it up close. Since his retirement from special education, he’s volunteered to support the Special Olympics Wyoming Winter Games by being a snowshoe official. He’s seen that “spirit of competition” in action.

These athletes want to be a part of the great outdoor community here in Jackson just like everybody else that lives here. They want to race, they want to compete, they want to win and they want to have fun with their peers.

And the volunteers that help make this event happen want to make all that possible for the athletes.

Contact Kyle Leverone at 307-732-7065 or sports@jhnewsandguide.com.

KATHRYN ZIESIG / NEWS&GUIDE

Ryan Blair high-fives Evanston athlete Breyer Faddis, 18, after he completed the 100-meter snowshoe relay Feb. 29 during the second and final day of the Special Olympics Winter Games.

KATHRYN ZIESIG / NEWS&GUIDE

Volunteer Kip Hanich, center, watches from the sidelines as athletes take off from the starting line during the 50-meter snowshoe race on Feb. 29 during the final day of the Special Olympics Winter Games.

Wilsonites band together for good causes

The unincorporated hamlet lacks its own government, so residents coordinate on projects.

By Tibby Plasse

The hamlet of Wilson is scenic, historic, quaint and unicorporated.

Founded in 1899 by Nick Wilson, one of Wyoming ’s first Pony Express couriers, the beloved outpost at the base of Teton Pass has no governance structure. Therefore, its residents must band together to lobby for its causes.

Enter the Wilson Advocates. The ad hoc group formed in 2017 after some residents who were concerned about safety in the commercial core of Wilson invited neighbors to gather at the Old Wilson Schoolhouse Community Center. They talked about what could be done to safeguard pedestrians, formalize parking, slow traffic and add bus stops, among other things. And it’s been going strong ever since.

“Wilson has soul and is a rare gem,” said Camille Obering, who was raised in Wilson and still calls it home. “Protecting its charm and character is important for businesses and a sense of community, and the positive trickle-through can’t be overstated. Managing and maintaining this sensibility should be taken very seriously, because once it’s gone it’s gone.”

The volunteer-driven organization is fueled by residents like Obering and Tim Young, who has called the Wilson home for over 30 years. The slow-travel pioneer took the helm of Wyoming Advocacy after retiring from the state Wyoming Pathways initiative that he founded in 2012. He founded Friends of Pathways in 1994 and also served as the organization’s director. Young’s history of facilitat ing pedestrian arteries is the perfect

match for Wilson’s challenge of everincreasing traffic on Highway 22.

“We’re keeping an eye on projects and are able to explain them to our neighbors,” Young said. “So I think that’s been pretty helpful to supplement the county’s meetings.”

For Young the advocacy work comes down to persistence. It’s sorely needed for things like the new Wilson to Stilson pathway, for which land was obtained decades ago. Obering said Young and Marylee White raised money and spoke to the county weekly for years and years to accomplish that project.

“It’s exhausting, so people give up or move on with their lives,” Obering said. “I worked with them for a couple of years and was able to help them bring it across the finish line, but it took weekly emails, speaking at the commissioner meetings, numerous letters to the county, WYDOT and Teton County School District board, including getting hundreds of people to sign a petition,” she said, adding that because Wilson does not have formal representation on a government level, it’s easy for its issues to be placed on the back burner.

completed last fall, to the rebuild of Wilson Wetlands Boardwalk to promoting the Teton County Preservation Board’s Wilson Historical Survey, Wilson’s advocates are finding ways to educate on issues and preserve the small-town high-quality life that visitors and residents alike take pride in.

The $50,000 wetland boardwalk project between Owen Bircher Park and downtown was underwritten with a major contribution from Wilson contractor Porgy McClelland and took more than 30 people several weeks to complete, said Scott Horn, a member of the Wilson Advocacy steering committee.

“A few phone calls and letters from diverse voices can go a long way.”

— Camille Obering WILSON ADVOCATES

“Porgy McClelland led the project and directed all the volunteers,” Horn said, “whose energy and enthusiasm often exceeded their building skills.”

Horn, a former vice president of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, sits on the steering committee with Young, Obering, White, Susie Temple, Ginny Hutchinson, Bill Field and Molly Murray.

Young said it was no small feat to replace the boardwalk, requiring coordination with the school district, the recreation district and the county to replace the boards.

“Wilson school kids worked on the interpretive plaques years ago, and it’s great to have it repaired now. It’ll have another 20-30 years of life before it needs work again,” Young said.

As Wilson sees up to 15,000 cars during the summer drive down its Main Street, the boardwalk is far from the last goal for the Wilson Advocates.

“Our efforts have helped to ensure a new pathway with a tunnel under Highway 22, a soon-to-be-constructed pedestrian bridge over Flat Creek, and WYDOT’s delay and possible reconsideration of a Teton Pass vehicle arrestor, which we feel is envisioned too close to the heart of town,” Horn said.

The Wilson to Stilson Pathway was completed in late October. The 1.5-mile pathway along Highway 22 includes underpasses at Green Lane and Wilson Elementary to take kids safely to school and connect Wilson neighborhoods to the greater pathway system. A new pathway bridge over Fish Creek will be installed in early spring to complete the link on the south side of the highway into Wilson.

“Wilson Advocacy strives to be a voice for Wilson that can not be ignored and to inform and activate our community so they have the agency to voice their opinion to the county,” Obering said. “A few phone calls and letters from diverse voices can go a long way.”

From the Teton Mobility Corridor Improvements projects, substantially funded through a successful $25 mil lion federal BUILD grant that in the Wilson to Stilson Pathway,

“I appreciate and enjoy this unique community and have been involved with the Wilson Advocacy group the last four years,” Horn said.

Horn said Wilson’s volunteers felt appreciative and satisfied with the restoration and improvement of the historic boardwalk structure.

“The boardwalk has been part of our community for about 30 years, and it provides an essential link to the post office and business district for those north of town and allows for a unique natural experience along a

Wilson Advocates created a organizational charter in May of 2023 with the mission to “provide a recognized and unified voice to preserve and enhance our unique community.”

The group meets quarterly at the Old Wilson Schoolhouse and Community Center. Sign up for the newsletter to learn more about its work and about the forthcoming We Love Wilson Jubilee, which will be held June 16, by emailing wilsonwyadvocacy@

COURTESY PHOTO

The restored boardwalk on the Wilson Wetlands Trail connects Owen Bircher Park with downtown Wilson, including the U.S. Post Office and Hungry Jack’s.

Thank You to Our JH Fire/EMS Team

We want to thank all our members for their tireless work for our community; we would like to specifically acknowledge our volunteers. Below are our Fire/EMS, community emergency response team, and foundation board member volunteers.

STATION 1

STATION 2

STATION 3

STATION 4

STATION 6

STATION 7

Daniel Ahlstrom

Ottilia Ballo

Paul Boillot

Kimberly Brandt

Lonnie Brown

Dee Buckstaff

John Clegg

Sallie Dumond

Pam Flores

Laurie Fukawa

Win Furber

Kate Gersh

Carolyn Grant

David Henneberry

Bill Hoglund

Teresa de Groh, Vice Chair

Dean Jarvie

Daniel Long

Alton George

Kevin Spence

Erick Alpizar

Katie Bernasek

James Bonich

Jason Bruni

Chris Mommsen

Katie Davis

Connor Field

Chris Betsinger

Andrew Byron Bernhard Sieber

Mack McFarland

Patrick Davis

Kris Lunde

Dr. James Little Jr.

Chris McCullough

Coy Abel

Ray Brence

Alex Cantelmi

Jared GeBauer

Victor Hernandez

Holly Hunter

Marta Iwaseczko

Arne Johanson

Michael Johnson

Phylliss Johnson

Jim Joseph

Mary Kamstra

Christopher Kendzierski

Monica Lohn

Deborah Meagher

Michelle Metzger

Annie Morita

Dorothy Neckels

Charles Crotteau

Greg Hahnel

Jill Learned

William Luskey

Brian McDaniel

Kristen MacClennan

Connor Phillips

Claire Fuller

Tim Harland

Dean Jarvie

Tyler Babcock

David Cernicek

Lance Cohen

Phillip Lamoureux

Cody McInnes

Nathan Mintz

Elizabeth Gerrits

Erynn Hargrave

Gautam Khanna

Niel McCune

Kevin Rauch-Lynch

Justin Reppa

Nan Neth

Stacy Noland

Robert Pope

Jocey Querry

Phillip Ramsey

Victoria Ries

Patti Robertson

Ernie Rodriguez

Mimi Saenger

David Scheurn

Jessica Schiers

Brenda Sherwin

Sally Shupert

Karen Stewart

Robbin Levy Mommsen, Secretary

Randy Luskey

Stephanie Thomas, Treasurer

Nicolas Prevot

Jocey Querry

Ernie Rodriguez

Leo Sanchez

James Wilcox

Sam Zuckerman

Stephen Koeller

Heath Zuszak

Cassie Heikkila

Randy Luskey

Javier Dominguez

Miller Resor

Matthew Scott

Sarah Schuhler

Matthew Somers

Maggie Stewart

Mike Sullivan

Tena Webb

Anna Sullivan

Nicole Tepe

Ingrid Watsabaugh

Joy Watson

Bob Weiss

Bob Wemple

Alicia Whissel

Natalie Wight

Cathy Wikoff

Robert Wikoff

Barbara Zelazo

Al Zuckerman

Lizzie Watson, Board Chair

Jeff Willemain

Charlotte Alimanestianu

Catherine Bradford

Tom Brewer

Ceci Bruno

Jennifer

Dylan

Sara

Passionate, involved teen motivated by The Lorax

Viridiana ‘Viry’ Hernandez, 17, volunteers her time to multiple organizations amidst a busy schedule.

By Kate Ready

High school student Viridiana “Viry” Hernandez is hard to keep up with.

Despite her busy schedule, Hernandez finds time to volunteer with three organizations: the Spread the Love Commission, Teton Literacy Center and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

A junior at Jackson Hole High School, Hernandez juggles giving back with her involvement in organizations like Student Council, Model UN, the Tlaxcala Intercambio Club, Key Club and National Honors Society.

“As a Latino, I struggle to find my place in the world,” Hernandez said.

Volunteering helps her carve out spaces for herself, she said, learning new things, meeting new people and getting to see new places. She cited a recent Model UN trip that took her to Washington D.C.

“It’s opened a lot of new perspectives of the world I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t been so involved with these organizations,” Hernandez said. “It’s very important to find a purpose for me in this world.”

Hernandez grew up in Jackson; she moved from Tlaxcala in Mexico when she was 6.

She said volunteering for the Spread the Love Commission — a nonprofit that distributes supplies and advocates for the unhoused and housing insecure — opened her eyes to bigger issues outside of the small town she grew up in.

“I’ve really educated myself that [homelessness] is a big issue,” Hernandez said. “Growing up in a small town, it sometimes makes you blind to see that this is something that’s going on all over the U.S.”

Hernandez first heard about the nonprofit through her best friend, Fernanda Costilla, a longtime volunteer for Spread the Love who now attends Johns Hopkins University. Costilla helped recruit volunteers like Hernandez, who participated in one of the events. The rest is history.

One moment from a Feb. 16 outreach event especially touched her heart when a mother came by for supplies with her three children in tow.

“A little kid asked if he could have hot chocolate and a cookie,” Hernandez remembered. “It made me nostalgic for some reason, feeling that I can help someone in some way. It doesn’t take a lot.”

Celebrating 45 Years

We could not do it without volunteers like youTHANK YOU!

And

That same day, she saw how the community can unify, knocking out more than one person could do alone; in a short amount of time, she and other volunteers helped assemble 150 bags of supplies to send to neighboring communities.

In addition to helping at their outreach events and collection drives, Hernandez also translates the organization’s documents into Spanish.

“She just started quietly showing up to everything,” said Wren Fialka, founder of the Spread the Love Commission. “Talk about actions speaking louder than words.”

Throughout her high school career, Hernandez also has been an active member of the Community Safety Network’s high school club, Peer Advocates. The nonprofit serves those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

Adrian Croke, CSN’s director of education and outreach, called Hernandez “passionate and outspoken” when it comes to preventing domestic violence and sexual assault.

“She would not stand for victim blaming and would set her peers straight when they wavered in their understanding of the dynamics of teen dating violence,” Croke wrote in an email.

On Feb. 20, Hernandez sat on stage in front of the senior class sharing her opinions on consent and sexual assault prevention, Croke said.

“Viry is brave, has a strong moral compass, knows herself and her values, and is an impressive guide and example for her peers.”

When the world (or her schedule) gets noisy, Hernandez grounds back into her guiding light — a Dr. Seuss character, The Lorax.

“‘Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it’s not going to get better, it’s not,’” Hernandez quoted from the children’s book. “I live by it.” Contact Kate Ready at 307-732-7076 or kready@jhnewsandguide.com.

KATHRYN ZIESIG / NEWS&GUIDE Spread the Love Commission founder Wren Fialka and high school volunteer Viridiana “Viry” Hernandez, 17, organize supplies for hygiene kits on a table at the Farmers Market on Feb. 24. Patrons could visit the table to help assemble the kits while learning more about the nonprofit.

Area scouts help keep valley cupboards full

Scouting for Food critical to feeding the community.

By Jeannette Boner

Last fall, just before the rush of the holiday season, the local Scouts out of the Headwaters District quietly ensured that local cupboards would be filled with food. Again.

“You could be one ski accident away from needing help,” said Amy Brooks,

gram Scouting for Food. “You know ... our town has changed significantly as far as the socioeconomic status of people here, but that doesn’t go to say that there aren’t people here of lower income. Plenty of people ... struggle daily just to get by. And food is something that somebody should never have to struggle to have.”

Last fall, the Scouting for Food program brought in more than 4,700 pounds of food into the Jackson Cup-

At St. John’s Health, our dedicated team of volunteers is central to our mission: to provide our unique community and visitors with exceptional and ever-advancing, individualized care. Whether you’re looking for a way to give back, or interested in gaining experience in a health care setting—we invite you to join us in making positive, long-lasting impacts in the lives we serve.

To learn more, please contact our Volunteer Department at: (307)739-7541 or volunteer@stjohns.health

Victoria Atwater

Laurie Bay

Marilyn Bell

Sally Berman

Eileen Blackwell

Susan Brooks

Deanie Carlton

Michael Cumberland

Maggie Davis

Patricia Dempsey

Alissa Ehrenkranz

Bill Finerty

Lucretia Finlay

Raymond Force

Joyce Frye

Joan Goldfarb

Natalie Goss

Kendall Griffin

Charlie Gulotta

Diane Hanson

Barb Huhn

Cass Jones

Diane Key Charlotte Kidd

Amber Knight

Kylie Larson

Sidney Lee

Anne Lippold

Jane Malashock

Steve Malashock

Suzanne Martindale

Lizbeth Martinez Tzompa

Dan Matzke

Julie Matzke

Marilyn May

Nancy McCarthy

Paschall McDaniel

Pat McKibbin

Linda Melton

Lori Moffett

Maddie Moore

Maggie Moore

Judy Pilgrim

Karen Rockey

Arden Rogers

Ellen Sanford

Sadie Scarlett

Ann Scully

Rachel Smith

Bobbi Thomasma

Marsha Wackerly

Macy Walz

Jingwen Wang

Lynne Whalen

Mary Willis

Volunteer Randy Elledge sorts donations at the Jackson Cupboard during

event.

2024’s Super Volunteer: June McCollister

For 32 years she has helped people navigate Medicare and Medicaid.

By Billy Arnold

Aman who lives in Freedom took the bus all the way to Teton County Library to find her. Another man moved from Wyoming to Florida but still calls her. Hundreds of other Wyoming seniors know her name.

For the past 32 years, June McCollister has helped seniors and low-income residents navigate Medicare and Medicaid enrollment, as well as fraud, abuse and billing errors — a daunting task that she has completed for free. As a volunteer with the Wyoming State Health Insurance Information Program, which helps with enrollment, and Wyoming Senior Medicare Patrol, which helps seniors navigate fraud, abuse and billing disputes, McCollister has become the go-to advocate in western Wyoming for navigating complex federal insurance.

McCollister’s reputation precedes her, said Sandy Goodman, program officer for Senior Medicare Patrol.

“June’s probably our best volunteer as far as the amount of work she puts in and her compassion,” Goodman said. “If we didn’t have June and other people like

her, we wouldn’t have a program.

“We wouldn’t be able to reach nearly as many people as we reach,” she added.

McCollister, 78, has lived in Jackson Hole since 1986. This year, her friend Jaclyn Neumann nominated McCollister in the News&Guide’s annual “Super Volunteer” contest. The News&Guide’s editorial team chose her as the paper’s volunteer of the year because of her unwavering, 30-year commitment to improving senior health care, an underappreciated but critically important part of our aging valley’s support system.

“June spends countless hours helping our older community with the confusing information surrounding Medicare. She meets them in person at the library and takes hundreds of phone calls from her house,” Neumann wrote, adding that McCollister is “known in the community as the best person at the job.”

McCollister is not boastful about the work she does, or the people she has helped, balancing her volunteerism in the medical space with other volunteer work for the Teton County Library and, before she retired in 2013, a full-time career in the ticketing office at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

BILLY ARNOLD/NEWS&GUIDE

But McCollister is passionate about her work. “It is so necessary for people to understand and not be forced or cajoled into purchasing a particular plan,” she said. After three decades of work, however, McCollister is

looking for someone to carry the flag forward.

“I’m always hopeful that there will be people interested in volunteering, doing what I’m doing,” McCollister said. “That would be the icing on the cake for me. Because I can’t and won’t be doing this forever.”

McCollister first drove through Grand Teton National Park and Jackson in the ’70s on a road trip from Seattle, travelling across the country with her first husband and two sons. They bought a condominium in Teton Village and would come out in the summers occasionally, but winters always. They bounced back and forth between Jackson and Annapolis, Maryland, until their business on the East Coast cratered.

“We had no place to go,” McCollister said. “Except for here.”

So they moved, packing up their life and coming to Wyoming. At first McCollister felt sorry for herself. “It was a scramble,” she said, and remembered thinking, “I’m out here in WyNowhere, permanently.”

But that changed when she walked into the ticket office at the resort and landed a job. She stayed in the ticket office for 28 years. The job was convenient, near her home in Teton Village, and, after her first marriage fell apart, she became involved with Michael McCollister, son of

And the (rest of the) nominees are ...

The following people were nominated as a “Super Volunteer” by their friends, family, peers and supervisors. Many received more than one nomination form.

Chris Betsinger: A volunteer firefighter in Teton County for 20 years, he helps community members with whatever they need: ride to work, some firewood he cut by himself, plowing your road or fixing your washing machine.

Sam Bland and Bright Walker: They are always willing to pitch in and help with whatever task Wyoming Wildlife Advocates has: unloading trash cans from trucks, pounding on wheels, attaching stickers. They never turn down a volunteer job, no matter how not-glamorous it is.

Kali Collado: Besides volunteering on a regular basis with the Spread the Love Commission, she gives a loving hand to all of her peers at all times. Her positive spirit brings joy to all those around her.

Janelle and Mike Conlin: Incredibly generous with their time, they always have a foster dog from the Animal Adoption Center, spend lots of hours at Hole Food Rescue and have helped Riot Act Inc. with productions many, many times.

Emily Coombs: She developed the Coombs Foundation, making skiing available to so many people that otherwise wouldn’t have had access or the ability to enjoy. Her countless hours have developed a legacy in memory of her late husband, Doug Coombs.

Erik Dombroski: In addition to his service on the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board and the Wyoming Hospitality Travel Coalition, he stepped up when the Teton County School District needed basketball referees. He got certified and volunteered to ref basketball to ensure no games were canceled due to a lack of referees. He also now referees lacrosse and soccer and helps backstage with Off Square Theatre Company.

Sue Ernisse: For over a decade, Sue has been an integral part of Teton Raptor Center, infusing her passion, dedication, and energy towards advancing raptor conservation. In 10 years, she has donated over 3,500 hours of service to advancing raptor conservation. She pours her whole heart and soul into everything she does for Teton Raptor Center, but more importantly, everything she does for the birds.

Wren Fialka: Her devotion and dedication to the Spread the Love Commission brings the beautiful example of community to other communities

across the USA. She eases transitions across difficult times for unhoused and struggling people. She does it all with unwavering devotion, dedication, courage and love.

Elizabeth Gerhard: She founded and manages the Teton Parkies, an organization for people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. She arranges monthly presentation, dinners and social events, including a big celebratory dinner in December. She is concerned with each of the members and their joys and disappointments.

Bill Haaland: Silicon Couloir’s Volunteer of the Year “goes above and beyond in every way,” said Director of Entrepreneurship Brittney Ziebell. “He takes new mentors under his wing, and the founders he mentors appreciate him greatly, speaking to his down-to-earth nature and the way he generally cares about them as people first and foremost.”

Tim Harland: A successful real estate agent, he will drop everything to support Jackson Hole Fire/ EMS. He is always on high alert for anyone in need of help or emergency situations that may arise. He contributes both in service and raising money for the fire department foundation it so the community is safe and protected at all times.

Becky Hawkins: She has volunteered with Teton Raptor Center for over 1.5 years. In that short time she has donated over 450 hours of service. She is a project guru and loves to roll up her sleeves. She is driven and thrives on sharing the nonprofit’s work through her role as a program docent. She was recently recognized by the staff as the Ambassadorof-the-Year for 2023 for her endless contributions to raptor conservation.

Jayne Ottman: The embodiment of the unsung hero, she started the Stage Stop dog sled race over 25 years ago in a huge push to vaccinate children. She has volunteered at the Jackson Cupboard, is a cochair of the Period Poverty project, has made countless nursing pillows for new mothers, and has given hundreds of COVID vaccines. She gives kindness to all in her orbit.

Randy Reedy: At the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, he helps serve Wednesday night dinner, teaches Sunday School and collects winter clothing for kids. He’s an instrumental part of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation’s “Fence Team,” helping to remove or improve nearly 250 miles of

fencing to improve wildlife habitat. “He has a deep faithfulness in his volunteering that makes others around him more apt to keep going,” nominator Brian Bultema said.

Ernie Rodriguez: When he isn’t working with kids, teaching them to be strong and independent people, he is volunteering his time and strength to help others during their hardest times. He is a member of both the local and international Habitat for Humanity groups, as well as Team Rubicon and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. For the last two decades Jackson has been a better town because of him. He has brought selflessness and a desire to make life better to everyone he has encountered on his many travels.

Terry Romanowski: She has been a volunteer for Teton County Search and Rescue for 23 years and a volunteer for the American Red Cross for 25 years. She has spent so much of her personal time in service to the community. She is kind, considerate and caring. A wonderful person and a great asset to our community.

Scott Schnieder: One of the valley’s most dedicated Meals on Wheels volunteers is often available for last-minute requests and will even deliver two routes when needed. He also helps out some homebound seniors with errands like grocery shopping and the post office outside.

Nancy Shea: From working in the park to volunteering for the vaccine center, to the woman’s center, she has done it all.

Lynn Wegner: A supporter of the Teton Literacy Center for over 25 years, she has been a constant rock of support and optimism. She provides encouragement and wisdom acquired over her decades working as a teacher in the classroom. She has donated technology and strollers to give to families in need, brought treats for volunteer workshops and put together beautiful prize baskets for the winners of Teton Literacy’s first Story Slam.

Yvonne and Russ Wood: They show up for Jackson Elementary students every day of the school year with the walking school bus. Their enthusiasm for keeping students safe is remarkable, and their willingness to dedicate their hard-earned retirement to the students is inspiring.

Contact Johanna Love at 307-732-7071 or jlove@jhnewsandguide.com

June McCollister spends hours helping people navigate the complexities of Medicare and Medicaid, doing much of her work from Teton County Library. A former treasurer of Friends of the Teton County Library, McCollister still volunteers to help run the Book Nook in the lobby.

resort founder Paul McCollister.

Eventually they married.

In that time, June McCollister said, she was working “about three jobs all at once.” One was providing in-home care. Through that job she learned about a new program geared toward helping people get into Medicare. Along with a few other women she worked with, McCollister traveled to Casper for a symposium about Medicare. That was 32 years ago, 1992. She’s been working with federal insurance ever since.

“We’re not trying to sell anything,” McCollister said. “We’re trying to get accurate information to all of the beneficiaries coming on to Medicare, or that may already be on Medicare and may have become ill.”

In that time, McCollister has learned the intricacies of the system, which can be tricky for older Wyomingites. For example, while Medicare is typically for people over 65 years old, McCollister said she’s helped a woman in her 50s access Medicare. Younger people can access the program if they’re disabled. But she also lets people know that Medicare will typically pay only 80% of the federally approved amount for medical care, leaving 20% to the patient, “which could be substantial,” she said. And then there are penalties. Medicare recipients can incur fines. One accrues if people don’t sign up for Medicare Part D — which is for prescription drugs — when they’re able, but try to sign up

McCollister wants people to avoid

“I love it when I’m saving people

McCollister is good at what she does, said Sandy Goodman, the Senior Medicare Patrol program officer.

SPOTTED KNAPWEED

“She knows probably 10 times more than I know,” Goodman said.

“She helped raise me.”

Goodman has staffed the fraud and abuse program for 11 years. McCollister’s tenure is almost triple that. In her 32 years she has been an incredibly prolific volunteer. In the last five years she has contacted 831 people, Goodman said — roughly one potential Medicare recipient every two days.

Now, McCollister balances her work with the Medicare programs with her work at Teton County Library. Before the Friends of Teton County Library merged with the Teton County Li brary Foundation, McCollister was the Friends’ co-treasurer, sharing the position with Jacksonite Ron Stevens until he died in 2018. “It was devas tating,” McCollister said. “He was my mentor.” But she kept going in the role, taking on the treasurer job sin gle-handedly, and held it until the two organizations merged.

You might recognize McCollister as the face behind the library’s second hand book store, the Book Nook.

“She’s a great volunteer,” said Joe Gagnon, the library’s volunteer coor dinator. “It seems like she’s always got time, which is incredible, and she’s al ways willing to give that time, which is even more incredible.”

But a few years past retirement age — and the age that most people are eligible for Medicare — McCol lister is ready to dial back. She would love to find someone to take over for her in the medical realm so she can spend more time camping, hiking and skiing with her husband, Michael.

“I’d love to find someone to come in and take over,” McCollister said.

She wouldn’t mind bringing in someone young.

“It’s never too early to start,” Mc Collister said.

Contact Billy Arnold at 307-732-7063 or barnold@jhnewsandguide.com

Thank you, volunteers!

MUSK THISTLE

THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS!

Teton County 4-H Volunteers are inspiring the next generation! Thank you for all you do for our community!

Joy Abad

Becca Block

Kayla Bonilla

Diana Brown

Michelle Brown

Jay Buchner

Jane Budge

Joe Burke

Ryan Castagno

Courtney Cedarholm

Mick Cestia

Hunter Christensen

Will Dornan

Esther Ellis

Bruce Fisk

Trudy Funk

Rebecca Genzer

Gwen Hansen

425384

Marybeth Hansen

Scott Hardeman

Trista Hiltbrunner

LaRee Hibbert

Megan Hibbert

Will Hobbs

Bobby Holik

Katie Kavanagh

Jared Kuhns

SaraLee Lanier

Jessica Loudenslager

John Loudenslager

Deb Lundy

Mary Martin

Alicia McGaugh

Rebecca Mitchell

Deirdre Morris

Tatyana Ramella

Sue Reichel

Mike Robertson

Nicole Robertson

Pam Romsa

Krista Sgroi

Vonde Smith

Thomas Smits

Adria Stines

Amy Taylor

Alyssa Watkins

Andrew Wilson

Brandi Wilson

Buskin Wilson

Dana Wilson

Meredith Wilson

Robyn Wright

Seeking Sponsors for Teton County 4-H Buckles and Fair Awards

Jim Auge

Tom Bruno

Hopkins Carey

Katharine Conover-Keller

Doug Ober

Bob Pisano

Patricia

May Herr

Debby Hopkins

Ted Staryk

Marty Trott, MD

Paul Vogelheim

CONGRATULATIONS Valley Volunteer Award Winners!

sponsored by

Community Hero Winner: Terry Romanowski

She has been a volunteer for Search and Rescue for 23 years. Also a volunteer for the Red Cross for 25 years. She has spent so many years and so much of her personal time in service to the community volunteering for both organizations. She is kind, considerate and caring. A wonderful person and a great asset to our community.

Next Generation Winners: Mia Brazil, Hailey Stines & Ella Watkins

4H Citizenship Club

These three senior girls have been volunteering for this club since they were 8 years old. Over the years they have put in countless hours of volunteering in Teton County. They’ve volunteered for the Soroptomist Club, The Animal Shelter, the Good Samaritan Mission, The Ronald McDonald house, and so many more. On Valentine’s Day they handed out treat bags at the Pioneer Homestead with a smile. Watch out world, these girls are going to make a difference!

Super Volunteer Winner: June McCollister

June spends countless hours helping our older community with the confusing information surrounding Medicare. She meets them in person at the library and takes hundreds of phone calls from her house. She has been doing this works for many years and is known in the community as the best person at the job.

Thank you to all our amazing volunteers in the valley!

Becky Hawkins

Bill Haaland

Chris Betsinger

Elizabeth Gerhard

Emily Coombs

Erik Dombroski

Ernie Rodriguez

Janelle and Mike Conlin

Jayne Ottman

June McCollister

Kali Collado

Lynn Wegner

Nancy Shea

Randy Reedy

Sam Bland and Bright Walker

Scott Schnieder

Sue Ernisse

Terry Romanowski

Tim Harland

Wren Fialka

Yvonne and Russ Wood

Dylan Campuzano

Maddie Krasula

Mia Brazil

Hailey Stines

Ella Watkins

board, the local food pantry run by the nonprofit One22 Resource Center. That was 36% more than the year before. The Scouts’ food gathering added to the more than 350,000 pounds of no-cost groceries that are distributed to more than 800 households a year, according to One22.

And this all started more than 20 years ago with a Scout program, some new shelves and the dedicated drive of countless volunteers that laid the foundation for the program that exists today.

“That was a huge effort by so many people that worked for the Cupboard,” said Brooks of the early days of establishing the program in the basement of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

or enough to feed their own families, last year the program found 87 vol unteers scouting for food.

“I think the program is also im portant. ... for the Scouts that are doing it and who learn so much,” she said. “When they’re collecting all this food and learning that there might be somebody in your Scout troop whose family uses the Cup board. They don’t talk about it, but [this pro gram] teaches the kids that there are people less fortunate or just sometimes in need of help. And that’s what we should do. That’s what we’re put here to do, to help each other, and I think that’s a really important com ponent of the Scouting mission.”

“That’s what we’re put here to do, to help each other, and I think that’s a really important component of the Scouting mission.”

The Boy Scout Headwaters District includes Scouts from Alpine to Jackson to Teton Valley, Idaho. And for decades these Scouts have fanned out across the valley collecting everything from canned goods to cake boxes and more, feeding the masses without judgment or question.

— Amy Brooks SCOUTING FOR FOOD

For Brooks, Scouting has been a family affair. Her husband, Herb, still volunteers alongside her, even though their children have grown and flown — both having earned the Scouts’ highest honor, the rank of Eagle Scout.

Working with families, friends and neighbors to build the commu -

The Jackson Cup board merged with One22 in October 2020.

In addition to the main location at 155 Gill Ave., One22 operates satellite pantries with basic food staples at Te ton County Library and the Teton County/Jackson Recreation Center for immediate and emergency food access. Those are self-serve locations and are open during the regular business hours of each site.

People who want to get groceries and household supplies from the food pantry can visit One22JH.org/jackson-cupboard. Anyone who’d like to donate food or host a food drive can visit One22JH.org/food-drive-steps.

Families interested in the local scouting program can give Herb Brooks at call at 307-413-3997.

Natt Harkins • Kevin Hernandez • Angelina Hernandez • Jack Hood • Joe Hunt • Iván Jiménez • Emma Kail • Eagen Keeley •

Sara Keller • Margaret Kibbler • Andrew Klein • Emma Leither •

Forrest Lewis • Beau Lewis • Tom Licata • Mauro Lira • Timo

Macke • Robert Mann • Martina Maroun • Angel Martinez • Reed

Mattison • Andrew Mays • Zach Montes • Patrick Moo • McClain

Moran • Briana Olivares Rodriguez • Joseph Paine • Reesey

Partlow • Matthew Pilewski • Jr Rodriguez • Joey Sackett • Paige

Schneider • Sophia Schwartz • Samuel Schwartz • Merridy Scott • Eddie Smith • Tim Smith • Mark Snell • Yuriel Sosa Sosa • Karen

Spangler • Allie Tattersall • Hugo Torres • Anna Transou • Julio Uribe • Peter Williams • Michele Wolff • Alan Wood

425211

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Singleton

(307) 732-6652 • singletonpeeryfinancial.com

170 East Broadway, Suite 100D • PO Box 508 • Jackson, WY 83001

Citizenship Club still giving quality service

After 15 years, club grows from under the stairs to volunteer mainstay.

By Sophia Boyd-Fliegel

Before dawn the unmistakable smell of hundreds of pancakes filled the Elks Lodge. Athletes from around Wyoming, an expected 280, came in from the cold with their families to fuel for Day 1 of the 2024 Special Olympic Winter Games.

A mishmash of volunteers served sausage and cowboy coffee. Adults from the Jackson Hole Lions Club chipped away at 70 pounds of pancake batter.

Buzzing around a grid of tables, kids in middle and high school from Teton Science Schools and 4-H Citizenship Club delivered plastic cups of chocolate milk and orange juice.

It was a scene that would’ve made the 10-year-old founder of Citizenship Club proud.

Now 24 and speaking from her home outside of San Diego, Shaeli Chapman felt she was missing out a little.

“It’s awesome,” Chapman said. “When I get back next time I’d love to be able to do something with them.”

Now an established part of the quilted fabric of volunteers in Jackson

See CLUB on 13E

Grand Teton National Park could not accomplish the work we do without our much-appreciated volunteers. Last year, the park hosted 540 volunteers who contributed over 40,500 work hours. Volunteers help in a variety of ways, from maintaining trails, protecting wildlife, to providing educational opportunities and assisting visitors. We hear from our volunteers that their time in the park is extremely rewarding, giving them a chance to be outdoors and connect with people from all over the world – which is why we are so thrilled when they come back year after year.

We are grateful for our dedicated and passionate team of volunteers - we get more done because of them and are in awe of their commitment, hard work, and time they dedicate to the stewardship of this magnificent place.

Interested in joining our team?

Email grte_volunteer@nps.gov

Volunteer programs are supported by

KATHRYN ZIESIG / NEWS&GUIDE

4-H Citizenship Club members Leah Wilbur, Wren Turner and Phoebe Turner chat with athletes and their families while serving coffee and beverages early in the morning Feb. 28 at Elks Lodge No. 1713.

Hole, Chapman started the 4-H volunteer club without fundraising or a strategic plan.

After reading a book about a girl who prepared food for the homeless, Chapman pulled her friends together and started stashing supplies in a crawl space under the stairs.

Chapman told her mom, Trudy Funk, that she wanted to start a club.

“I didn’t think much of it,” Funk said. One day she checked the cubby and saw it had started to fill with canned food, toilet paper and stuffed animals.

“Then I thought oh gosh,” Funk said, “I better take this seriously.”

through social circles and bridged generations. It’s mostly grown by word of mouth.

Miles Krasula, 12, joined after his sister, Maddie, 15, whose older friends inspired her to join five years ago.

“At first I hesitated,” Maddie said, “because they were a lot older.”

In Maddie’s first year the club traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, to make breakfast at Ronald McDonald House Charities, which supports families with sick children.

“I got to see the impacts of volunteering,” she said. “That’s what keeps me coming back.”

“I got to see the impacts of volunteering. That’s what keeps me coming back.”

With Funk’s help driving supplies for delivery and carving out time for meetings, the Under the Stairs Club was born.

— Maddie Krasula CITIZENSHIP CLUB MEMBER

Fast forward almost 15 years and Chapman works for a nonprofit serving women veterans and their children while pursuing a master’s degree in public policy.

Once a month, approximately 17 kids volunteer on projects that range from picking seeds in the Grand Teton National Park to helping on Habitat for Humanity builds.

Once her daughter graduated, Funk handed the administrative reins to parents Adria Stines and Alyssa Watkins. To keep the club running, it became part of 4-H.

“I’m so impressed by like the motivation of the kids,” Stines said. “If you can see you’re making a difference, it feels good in your heart. Our world is so toxic right now.”

Citizenship Club has now been around long enough to have rippled

Miles likes the annual fundraiser for Soroptimist International of Jackson Hole.

“We’re raising a lot of money for some of the biggest helpers for people in Jackson,” Miles said.

Despite being busy with school and in a musical, another sibling pair, 15-year-old Phoebe and 12-yearold Wren Turner, have also stuck with the club for 7 and 4 years, respectively.

Serving food at the Good Samaritan Mission, Phoebe said, opened her eyes.

“Being in such a wealthy community you don’t really think about the fact how there’s people who live here who can’t afford to live here,” she said.

For Wren, Citizenship Club is not only about hanging out with friends, but also with people going through difficult times or who experience the world differently.

“I honesty just love the social part of it,” she said. “I love meeting new people.”

Contact Sophia Boyd-Fliegel at 307-7327063 or county@jhnewsandguide.com.

Students make life a little sweeter

Teens connect with others by giving out high-fives, snacks, inspiration.

By Jasmine Hall

Jackson Hole Young Life members want their classmates to know they aren’t forgotten.

It’s the reason they began putting together goodie bags for middle and high school student athletes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools were locked down and students were disconnected from one another.

“We were just trying to figure out a way we could connect with teenagers in a meaningful way,” said Allie Jones, area director for Jackson Hole Young Life. “To say: You’re not forgotten, we still care about you, even though we can’t really interact or see you as often.”

Young Life is a national Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, focused on helping students grow in their faith, with local groups in hundreds of communities. Jones said their mission is to support teenagers navigating family, friendships, school and sports, and create caring adults.

In January of 2021, the organization submitted a proposal to the Soroptomist International of Jackson Hole for funding to get the goodie bag project started. They were backed with $1,500 to buy plastic storage bags and fill them with snacks and inspirational quotes to hand out to students after sports practices — since it was the only time they got to be together.

“We’ve been doing it ever since,” Jones said.

It’s morphed over the years. Jack-

son Hole Young Life members hand out high fives, fist bumps, goodie bags and encouragement to more than student athletes leaving practice. They now bring them to the bus before teams drive hours across the state to compete.

“We added another little sticker on the bags that was just a conver-

sation starter,” Jones said. “You have six hours on this bus, maybe have a conversation with one of your teammates instead of looking at your phone for five hours.”

They’ve also started showing their support for other organizations like the robotics team and speech and debate.

Nearly 4,000 goodie bags have been handed out, and they have been welcomed with open arms.

“Getting sent off with a goodie bag is probably one of my favorite things about an away game,” said Melany Hierro, Jackson Hole High School girls basketball team mem-

COURTESY PHOTO

Young Life Jackson Hole members pack boxes of goodie bags to give to students at the middle school and high school in Jackson.

COURTESY PHOTO

Jackson Hole High School football team members come to pick up goodie bags that were put together by Jackson Hole Young Life. See

YOUNG LIFE

Continued from 14E

ber and football manager. “I always look forward to getting a goodie bag at football or basketball. It lets us know the community values us, and

these long road trips is so appreci ated by parents, coaches and espe cially these athletes,” Jackson High School basketball coach Matt Elliott said.

The efforts by Jackson Hole Young Life have spread, as the Key

Airport Board

Valerie Brown

Ed Liebzeit

Bob McLaurin

Melissa Turley

Rob Wallace

Board of Examiners

Jade Beus

Kasey Mateosky

Mike Mielke

Tyson Slater

Katie Wilson

Design Review Committee

Mary Beth Coyne

Hans Flinch

Doug Halsey

Brad Hoyt

Katherine Koriakin

Mary McCarthy

Michael Stern

The Town of Jackson is grateful to community members serving on local Boards and Task Forces. Thank you to current members, listed below, and to everyone who has given their time and energy to these entities.

Energy Conservation Works

Laura Bonich

Elaine Walsh Carney

Katy Hollbacher

James O'Brien

Jim Speyer

Equity Task Force

Miki Aristorenas

Marcela Badillo

Pierre Bergman

Jean Day

Jason Fritts

Brandon Hernandez

Jade Krueger

Stacy Noland

Rosa Sanchez

Housing Authority

Annie Droppert

Justin Henry

Estela Torres

Housing Supply Board

Laura Bonich

Kari Cooper

Matt Faupel

Carrie Kruse

Matthew Lusins

Whitney Oppenhuizen

Larry Thal

Parks & Rec Advisory Board

Matt Chorney

Jim Clouse

Frank Lane

Robin Folweiler

Christopher Peltz

Janna Rankin

Solid Waste & Recycling Board

Rani Carr

Paul Cherry

Kaitlyn Creasey

Kahlynn Huck

Steve Kaness

Fred Keller

Pathways Task Force

Andree Dean

Stefania Fram

Sarah Kraemer

Lindsey Kunce

Joseph Lovett

Jason Moment

Miles Yazzolino

Rick Gordon

Trevor Robinson

Planning Commission

Laura Bonich

Abigail Petri

Anne Schuler

Thomas Smits

Christie Watts

Katie Wilson

Stephanie Wise

Public Art Task Force

Katy Ann Fox

Tammi Hanawalt

Morgan Jaouen

Matt Kissel

Joseph Lovett

Christopher L udwig

START Board

Jared Smith

Kristin Unruh

Liz Ann Eisen

Meghan Quinn

Ty Hoath

Travel & Tourism Board

Mary Bess

Julie Calder

Eric Dombroski

Sheila Isanaka

Sam Pope

Shelby Scharp

Mike Geraci

Jackson High School basketball team members Andrew Hanna, Seb Brunner and A.J. Fowler pose with their goodie bags from Jackson Hole Young Life.

Make a Difference

Volunteer JH is an online platform where Teton County nonprofits can post their volunteer needs and community members can learn about volunteer opportunities.

Please visit the Community Foundation’s Volunteer JH for more details.