I am honored to present the 2024 Glide First Citizen to Janet Walter.  Janet and I go back, and back, and back more years than we care to count. Janet was a GHS graduating senior when I was a freshman.

This award today goes to am exceptional person. Janet has devoted her time and talents to her family, friends, and community. Her accomplishments demonstrated her com mitment and dedication to our youth, safety and beautiful Umpqua Forest lands.

Janet readily became a school and Boy Scout volunteer in the late 70’s and early 80’s. She has always shared her talents and time with fund raising groups for the past 50 years. Frank Walter worked for years and years with the U.S. Forest Service. Janet easily found ways to support the events and efforts of these Forest Service volunteer groups. The Mottley Crew, a group of retired Forest Service volunteers worked to maintain the hiking trails in the area and enjoyed Janet’s weekly supply of homemade baked goods.

Like so many other local residents, Janet joined the activities of the Glide Rural Fire Dept. Auxillary. For the past 23 years, Janet has worked with others to support and celebrate the accomplishments of the firemen, EMTs and the department construction projects.

Janet is currently President of the Fire Dept. Auxillary. She sets up, organizes and leads their meetings and projects. Their Arts and Crafts sales, Firemen barbeque and great activities of the Fire Dept.

Mary is a long-time volunteer, beginning in 1993, at Glide Elementary School. Her help has been most important with classroom projects such as sharing student inspired artwork, developing the student garden at the building, and fund-raising with the Annual Spaghetti Dinner and Auction. She has been an integral part of the fund-raising to send eight Glide students to Peru.

Mary was an active volunteer for the Grateful Bread mission from 2012 until 2019. During the past nine years, she has also donated time and experience to provide an added layer of safety, mentoring, and coaching for Glide athletics, especially cross country.

When ODOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program came to highway 138 in 2018, Mary joined the local volunteers to share the satisfying feeling to get every last bit of trash off the roads. Mary participates in several trail clean-up days with the Umpqua National Forest volunteers. These volunteers perform general trail maintenance by removing brush and downed trees.

From the time it was only an idea for a garden patch behind the Glide Elem. School until today, Mary has worked to develop a productive, learning environment for Glide students. This includes grant writing to support continued growth of the Paw Patch. These grants have provided fences, benches, planter boxes, a watering system, tools, and a tool shed. The newsletter provides garden information and participation opportunities for families.