SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2018
7 A
2017 Florence Area Chamber of Commerce Siuslaw Awards nominee profiles
Nominees announced for First Citizen, Future First Citizen Awards
B Y J ARED A NDERSON
Siuslaw News
FUTURE FIRST
CITIZEN
Jared Brandt is a senior at
Siuslaw High School (SHS)
and was described as a “student
athlete,” by SHS School
Counselor Steven Moser.
“Jared is a student first and ath-
lete second, able to manage
being a high achieving student
in class and an incredible ath-
lete on the field, as well as a
passionate volunteer in his
community,” Moser said.
Third in his class of 114 sen-
iors, Brandt is a member of the
National Honors Society and
the Interact Club, being named
the Community Service Chair
representative of the club.
Brandt excels in football, bas-
ketball and baseball, all while
volunteering at the Siuslaw
Booster Club auction, Rotary
Auction and Relay For Life.
Brandt's goal is to gain a degree
in forest and natural resource
management, on his way to
manage the continued preserva-
tion of the forest in Oregon.
Abigail Coday is a senior at
SHS and was described as
“genuine” by Moser, who said
Coday was “kind, compassion-
ate and considerate of every-
one, making her one of those
people you just can’t help but
get along with instantly.”
Coday is ranked second in
her class and is a member of the
National Honors Society, but
still finds time for athletics,
playing volleyball, softball and
acting as the team captain of
the bowling team, where she
looks to return to the state
championship.
She volunteers at Crossroads
Community Church, spends the
holiday season as a bell-ringer
for the Salvation Army, and
helps out at the Kiwanis
Thanksgiving dinner and Elks
Christmas food drive.
Coday plans to study micro-
biology, with the goal of
becoming a virologist.
Kaylee Graham’s defining
personality trait is “selfless-
ness,” according to Moser.
“Kaylee is mindful of others at
all times, is virtuous in her
choices and actions, and is will-
ing to face new challenges head
on with optimism.”
Graham is the founding
member of the Kindness Club,
a group of high school students
that go to the elementary school
to teach younger children about
the positive aspect of being
kind to one another. But most
know Graham as the founder of
Power of Florence when she
was 11 years old.
More than $50,000 in funds
have been raised because of the
program, which runs 90 sepa-
rate service projects in the com-
munity. The group has also
raised 18,000 pounds of food
for Florence Food
Share/Humane Society and has
collected countless school sup-
plies, clothing and emergency
supplies for those in need.
She is currently taking class-
es such in college writing, gov-
ernment and she helps as an
instructional aide at Siuslaw
Middle School.
Kyle King’s attitude and
demeanor brings up the word
leadership, according to Moser.
“Kyle continually demonstrates
the principles that make a great
leader: compassion, character
and charisma,” said Moser.
Treasurer of the National
Honors Society, King was also
a founding member of the
Kindness Club and is the
Communications Director for
Interact, in charge of PR for the
group.
Last year he was the organi-
zations fundraising chairman.
King is also an exceptional ath-
lete, taking part in cross-coun-
try, basketball and track. In
addition, he’s also a key mem-
ber of the SHS Viking Hour
radio show broadcast on KCST,
and has recently been accepted
to the University of Wyoming
where he plans on majoring in
psychology.
the local Kiwanis club; current
organizer for the Back to
School Bingo for Mapleton
Food Share; past Florence Club
Foundation board of directors
member; past president of
Oregon
Coast
Insurance
Women; current youth commit-
tee chair and See's Candy Sales
Chair for Kiwanis; past lead of
the Fraudville fundraiser bene-
fiting the Boys and Girls Club
of Western Lane County which
has raised $180,000 for the
club; and past secretary of the
Siuslaw Athletic Booster Club.
The list goes on, which is strik-
ing considering the fact that she
works full time as the co-owner
and agent for Coast Insurance
Services, Inc.
Rachel Pearson is all about
the kids, according to Martin
Alleston. “I can't imagine there
being anyone who has done
more for the children of this
town,” he said.
Pearson's hard work for the
children of Florence can be
seen with her current roster of
responsibilities: Volunteer for
Siuslaw Schools, helping with
various classroom activities,
special events, recruiting and
training volunteers, fundraising
and music projects; Florence
Community PTA member and
officer; volunteer for the
Winter Music Festival Kids
Concerts; board member of
Seacoast
Entertainment
Association; vice-chair of the
Siuslaw Education Foundation;
and volunteer for the bands at
Siuslaw School District, work-
ing with children grades 6-12,
assisting with the pep band,
FIRST CITIZEN
Jean Murphey has “taken
volunteering and involvement
in the community to the highest
level and incorporated a life-
time of serving and giving,”
said Shannon Sheets, represent-
ing the Kiwanis Club of
Florence. “Her giving never
stops.”
Murphy's list of volunteer
activities in the community is
extensive: Current president of
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assisting the band director, cre-
ating and maintaining concert
attire for the Siuslaw Middle
School and ongoing fundrais-
ing for the programs.
Thomas F. “Sam” Spayd's
positive attitude, friendly
demeanor, ability to see needs
and/or opportunities and act
upon them for the betterment of
others, tenacity and ability to
bring in others to participate in
causes and generosity in donat-
ing his own time and personal
funds to various community
projects is what sets Spayd
apart, according to Deb Lamb
of the Rotary Club of Florence.
Along with Rotary, Spayd's
volunteering commitment can
be seen in various organiza-
tions throughout the communi-
ty. He was the founding board
president of the Oregon Coast
Military Heritage Museum,
where he was instrumental in
getting the building up and run-
ning, including traveling to
several museums in multiple
states to seek financial and
logistical support.
Since creating the local busi-
ness AeroLegends Biplane
Rides in 2004, Spayd has
donated countless hours of
rides to civic organizations like
Kiwanis and the Siuslaw
Alumni Association, and was
instrumental in developing and
implementing the Florence Air
Academy of the Boys and Girls
Club. He's been on the Seacoast
Entertainment board of direc-
tors since 2015, and is the com-
mittee chair for the City of
Florence Airport Advisory
Committee.
D ESIREE J OHNSON , B ROKER
D ALE S AARI , P RINCIPAL B ROKER
541-745-9789
541-999-8410
541-999-2260
541-999-0511
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E LLIOTT W OOD ,
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541-465-8123
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541-465-8100
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541-997-5926
windermere.com