Stu Carlson &Carol Henry

Glide First Citizens 2007

FIRST CITIZEN PRESENTATION SPEECHES -- 2007

Our first honoree this evening has lived in our community for over 25 years. Like many community-minded people, the list of her volunteer activities is impressive to say the least. She volunteers at the hospital and elementary school; does blood pressure checks for senior services; volunteers at the juvenile corrections department in Roseburg; and teaches first aid and CPR in many different settings around the area. Her husband says, "If she has a free moment, she volunteers it somewhere."

But the bulk of her commitment can be seen in the hours she freely gives to Glide Fire Department. She joined in 1980, despite having four children from first to eighth grades. Aside from 3 years out of state, she has been an important part of the fire department ever since. In that time, she has achieved multiple certifications: as both structural and wildland firefighter, as an EMT, and as a first aid and CPR instructor.

But to give you a more accurate idea of what her commitment to our community really means, I need to share with you some statistics. Last year, our fire department responded to more than 340 calls. That’s almost one per day. The majority of those calls are medical emergencies or vehicle accidents—and our female "first citizen of the year" responded to over 70% of those calls. That means that in 2006 she dropped whatever she was doing nearly 240 times to help some member of our community who was in need of medical help, in a car wreck, or whose house was burning. 240 times in a year is what I call "commitment" – a commitment that has been consistently demonstrated for 25 years!

And, folks, that’s just the "calls" she responds to. Now that she’s "retired", this woman also spends 15-20 hours every week at the station doing numerous other jobs that pertain to fire department business. This is the person who makes sure that when our ambulance reaches you, all critical life-saving equipment and medication is already on-board. She makes sure things are cleaned up after each call, inventories the ambulance, checks that everything is there and in the right place, and orders supplies when they’re low. In fact, she’s the one who developed our procedure for taking inventory.

She makes sure that every one of the fire department’s members is trained annually in order to be recertified in the latest CPR requirements. She trains us in the appropriate use of AEDs (automatic electronic defibrillators). And she provides other medical training for us as well, including her specialty, blood-borne pathogens, to ensure the safety of EMTs and the community. So not only does she serve the community directly whenever called, but also serves us through training, organizing, and enabling others to serve, thus magnifying her own contributions.

As if that’s not enough, in 2000, the fire department was looking for a way for high school students to experience what firefighting and emergency service work entails. So our female "first citizen" was tapped to organize an Explorer Post, which she has led ever since. She prepares for and conducts the Explorers’ drills and supervises them whenever they participate in department activities. Five students are currently in the program, and upwards of 18 others have passed through it. In addition to learning skills for future careers, these young people experience leadership, service, and character development. So this woman is shaping the future by passing on to the next generation her knowledge, skills and commitment to service.

It’s a little odd that when we were gathering information about this woman so devoted to saving people’s lives, that those we called said, "She’ll kill me for telling you this, but…!" Well, we hope there won’t be any medical calls tonight as a result of our celebration.

So to this remarkable woman, may I say that the Glide community is grateful for your years of devoted service, for the knowledge and skills you have given us, and for your investments in our future. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in thanking and honoring Carol Henry, Glide First Citizen 2007.

Tonight’s second honoree moved to the Glide area in 1998 and immediately began making a difference. Here at the community building, it’s hard to look around without seeing a contribution that he has quietly made, whether it’s the new outside stairs, fresh paint on the building trim, Christmas trees every year, dead trees removed out back, or the First Citizen plaque hanging on the wall behind you. This is a creative man, marked and motivated by initiative—and here’s an example of it: He took it upon himself to hand-craft a beautiful table, set up a raffle for it at the Forest Service, and raised $700 to buy paint for this building.

We heard earlier about the strong connection between Eagle Scouts and citizenship. Our male "first citizen of the year" achieved Eagle Scout in 1970, and has been active in Scouting ever since. When he came to Glide, he first became Assistant Scoutmaster and since 2000 he has been Scoutmaster for Troop 112. In addition, he occupies leadership roles at district and national levels, such as chairing the district’s upcoming Spring Camporee, serving on the district committee for Order of the Arrow, and leading activities at the national Boy Scout Jamboree. The Scouts recognized his influence by awarding him District Scoutmaster of the Year in 2003.

Of course, the most important result of his Scouting work is the many boys who have been influenced by his mentoring. His guidance, example, discipline, and teaching are positively shaping these young men of the future. During the hours of Scout meetings and weekends of camping, his values become theirs. The mother of one who recently made Eagle Scout has said her son would not be the person he is without this Scoutmaster.

For many of us, the most visible Scouting activity of the year is the troop’s Christmas food drive and gift program. Under his leadership for 6 years, the program has grown tremendously: 50% more households are being served; twice as many individuals and organizations are involved in helping; four times as much food is being collected; and eight times more money is being donated. He applies for grants, solicits donations, negotiates reduced prices at grocery stores, collects boxes, hauls food, recruits volunteers, and directs the entire operation.

Last Christmas the program received more than 11,000 pounds of food and more than $11,000 in contributions. Glide’s Troop 112 brought in one third of all the food collected by the entire Douglas County Boy Scout district. In fact, the program is so successful that it has become more than just a holiday dinner. Get this folks: because the troop is partnering with the Helping Hands Food Pantry, families in our community are still receiving food collected last Christmas. No wonder one nomination said, "He IS Glide Christmas."

Now, I realize that our male "first citizen" would be the first to say that he doesn’t do this by himself, that it’s a team effort, that lots of people from the Scout troop and the community join together to make the Christmas food and gift program possible. And he’s right. But his leadership and commitment give a lot of people in Glide a truly joyous Christmas meal and provide Scouts an opportunity to practice community citizenship. Also, by leading this effort he gives the entire community an opportunity to do something really spectacular for others that we could never do acting individually.

So to this dedicated man, may I say that the people of the Glide area are grateful for what you do for our youth and our entire community. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in thanking and honoring Stu Carlson, Glide First Citizen 2007.