2003 Distinguished Service Award

The Everett Mountaineers is proud to present its 2003 Distinguished Service Award to Joellyn Jackson who has demonstrated these characteristics consistently over the years in many areas of the Branch.

Joellyn joined The Mountaineers in 1994. She started in the Everett Branch like many others by hiking and soon became a hike leader. Joellyn later taught other new hikers through the Ten Essentials Seminar, and, in later years, would share these principles with the public in a community outreach safety training program through the Everett Public Library. This community service program educated the public about mountain travel safety and helped address a proliferation of mountain rescue incidents. Her efforts also provided positive publicity for the Club and the Branch.

She went on to take and graduate from the Alpine Scrambles Course. With unbounded energy, Joellyn went on to lead scrambles and instruct in the course.

Joellyn has strongly influenced the Branch's First Aid courses. While serving as First Aid Committee Chair from 1995 to 1998, she made several enhancements to the courses that made them some of the best, if not thee best, in the Club. Her committee's activities were well organized. The MOFA and MOFAR courses were well executed and had consistent positive student feedback. MOFA is vital to the Branch and the Club. Her efforts ensured a positive response to that need. She continues as a member of the First Aid Committee and has been a MOFA instructor for many years. One of her favorite requests each year is for "victims" and props for the MOFA courses. Though she is no longer committee chair, she continues to be "surrogate" First Aid Committee Chair as the past and current chairs have not been able to attend the monthly meetings. Also, during her First Aid Committee Chairperson role, Joellyn contributed to Club strategic planning and thus helped form the club direction for the future.

Another area of Joellyn's influence is the Branch's Lookout and Trail Maintenance program. She contributed significantly to making Everett Branch's National Trails Day event to be the premier trail maintenance program in the Club and region with 100 to 130 participants each year. She planned and organized the picnic after the work effort, and has been able to gain widespread corporate support for the event from many outdoor equipment companies. We all love the "goody bags" from these corporate donors. The result has been a great combination of work and fun that draws the large participation in the event.

Joellyn is also a Trail Maintenance Crew Leader. Another one of the Branch's major projects has been the restoration of Heybrook Lookout. Here, again, Joellyn made major contributions as worker and "Chief Nurse," and by organizing volunteer support. She has contributed hundreds of hours to the Heybrook Lookout restoration project.

Underlying her efforts is a wonderful sense of humor that she artfully weaves with her other leadership skills. The result is an extremely positive motivation skill. She best demonstrates this during her instruction at the annual Everett Branch Leadership Seminar where she brings a woman's and female leader's viewpoint to Mountaineer activities and mentors future leaders. Not only does it make the seminar a fun experience that enhances learning, it more importantly provides an invaluable example for participants to emulate. She has represented the Branch on the Club's Administrative Leadership Committee.

Also, she graduated from the Everett Nordic Ski Course, is an active volunteer in snowshoeing, helped start the Singles Committee and is a lodge host.

Joellyn, THANKS for your past and continuing service to the Everett Mountaineers!! You perpetuate the Mountaineer spirit through your boundless and unceasing energy and passion for outdoor recreation and conservation.

--Don Heck, Larry Ingalls, Roy Metzgar and Ron Smith provided information for this article.