Volunteer Grove

The Volunteer Grove recognizes civically minded community members or groups who donate their time to the City of Vancouver. Nomination forms are accepted year-round and submitted on behalf of individuals, organizations, and/or businesses that have made a significant and positive impact in our community. Once a year, recipients will be awarded a Volunteer Grove Certificate with the location of their tree.

Volunteer Grove Nomination Form

2025 Volunteer Grove Recipients

View photos from the day.

Laurie Hansen – nominated by 50+ Recreation Programs, Kelly Lund

Laurie Hansen has been donating her time, energy, and resources to 50+ programs since our return from the pandemic. Ms. Hansen met Jana and Kelly at a networking meeting for Seniors in Clark County and she felt an instant passion and desire to support our dance program. It is such an asset to have a volunteer who helps with every dance! She is recruiting her friends, community and family too. We have been dancing now for over a year and Laurie has supported each monthly Friday dance with refreshments and hands-on work with the seniors and our team. We have been able to bring on extra dances for our senior population due to her continued commitment.

Mountain View Environmental Club – nominated by Urban Forestry staff, Riley Schleiss

The Mountain View High School Environmental Club consistently volunteers with Urban Forestry and Naturespaces. Club members have even brought friends and family to events and have successfully gotten their family members to plant a diversity of trees at their houses! Environmental Club members planted trees, native shrubs and flowers, removed invasive plants, and spread lots and lots of mulch. The MVHS Environmental Club is a group of dedicated, engaged, and responsible youth leaders who work hard to make Vancouver a better place.

Kenneth Stickney – nominated by Vancouver Fire Department, Noah Hilliker

Ken joined the Vancouver Fire Corps in August 2021.  Since then, Ken has been a steady volunteer, working quietly but with diligence and unwavering commitment.  He has volunteered for numerous events in that time including Project Home Safe, Bring Your Kids to Work Day, Clark County Powwow, Fire Extinguisher Presentation Support, and as a Greeter at the Annual Fire Department Awards Ceremony.  He has spent countless hours packing bags for both our fourth-grade education campaign and Project Home Safe. On one occasion Ken packed over 300 bags by himself for a Project Home Safe event. He has logged over 100 hours as a volunteer with the Vancouver Fire Corps. Ken’s achievements, dedication, and exemplary performance are in keeping with the highest traditions of volunteer service and reflect great credit upon himself and the Vancouver Fire Corps.

Beth Harrington – nominated by Cultural Services Manager, Stacey Donovan

Beth Harrington is being recognized for her exceptional dedication and service as a Culture, Arts and Heritage Commissioner from 2019 to 2025. 

Beth has been an unwavering advocate for the arts, tirelessly working to recognize and support arts and culture in our community.  Beth’s leadership and passion have been instrumental in fostering artistic expression and cultural awareness.  She has played a key role supporting local artists through our cultural grant program, ensuring that cultural, arts and heritage programs remain accessible and engaging for all residents.  Beyond her official role, Beth has volunteered many hours to the Vancouver Arts and Music Festival, providing backstage support for our local musicians.  As an artist herself, she understands the importance of bringing people together through music, storytelling and visual arts, enriching the lives of so many in our community and beyond.

Beth’s unwavering commitment to the arts and heritage sector, combined with her generosity of time and spirit, make her very deserving of a Volunteer Grove award.

Amy & Jeff Kiba – nominated by Volunteer Programs, Hailey Heath

All the Special Events and Volunteer Programs staff breathe a collective sigh of relief when Amy and Jeff Kiba walk in the door. This dynamic duo has helped set up, support, and clean up several big events per year since 2018. At the Family Valentine’s Ball, they know where the supplies are stored in Pearson Air Field even better than staff; at the Vancouver Arts & Music Festival these two could break a record for the number of canopies they can pop up in an hour; and at Dia de Muertos, they teach us how to put the walls on the tents. They often sign up for setup shifts and then offer to return to support us later during cleanup and they’re the last people standing, still sweeping and loading supplies. And they do all of this so selflessly, with a smile and a joke.

Neighbors on Watch Mentor Team – nominated by Volunteer Coordinator, Jordan MacFarlane

In recognition of their outstanding dedication to the Vancouver Police Department and our community, I am pleased to present this award to the Neighbors on Watch (NOW) Mentors. This group of volunteers—Scott, Mike, Judy, Bobby, Linda, Tom, Joan, Tony, Brenda, Paula, and Sina—has consistently gone above and beyond to ensure the success of the NOW Academy, which trains new volunteers to assist in community patrol activities at VPD.

In 2024, NOW Academy #24 set a record with 20 attendees, and a crucial aspect of this success was the mentor phase, where incoming volunteers are paired with experienced mentors to learn practical skills, safety protocols, and the responsibilities of volunteering at VPD. Despite only having nine mentors, they demonstrated extraordinary commitment, with most mentors taking on two mentees and collaborating to ensure every volunteer received the support they needed. Notably, one new mentor (Tony) joined the team, and retired mentor (Judy) returned to assist.

Without the NOW Mentors’ tireless efforts and collaborative spirit, we would not have been able to fully train our new volunteers. Their dedication has been vital to the success of the program, making them truly deserving of this honor.

Steve Hayslip – Nominated by Volunteer Coordinator, Chelsea White

Steve is the current Adopt-A-Park leader at LeRoy Haagen Memorial Community Park and that is a big job! Not only has Steve led monthly work parties every fourth Saturday for over a year, he also goes out to the park on his own a couple times a week and has served over 180 hours to date. When he’s leading events, he takes the time to learn every volunteer’s name, teaches them about the importance of removing invasive species, and inspires them to love native plants, especially his favorite, thimbleberry. When he goes out to the park on his own, he cares for the nature area as if it’s his own backyard and I believe Steve is the reason many of the trees and plants there are healthy and thriving. On behalf of the Parks department, we thank Steve for his invaluable time and effort.