Special award given at surprise ceremony in recognition of service to community

After 20 years with the Bonney Lake/Sumner recreation department, Becky Giles has established a reputation of being generous with her time to improve programs for youth.

Brett McDaniel, basketball coach at Sumner High School, said Giles is an invaluable resource for him and other coaches. During halftime at a recent game, Giles was presented with the Pay it Forward award as a “thank you” for her dedication.

“She would never seek accolades, but she’s been a real resource for local coaches,” McDaniel said. “She does a lot behind the scenes that people aren’t aware of.”

McDaniel said Giles helps organize a large number of programs for kids and adults as a recreation coordinator and still finds time to work with local coaches to arrange athletic camps and improve programs.

Giles was told the Spartans wanted to show their appreciation for her work at the game.

“I thought you would just stand up and wave, but it was more than that,” she said.

When Giles was presented the award, she was completely surprised, she said.

“I’m good at what I do, but I’m not good at the spotlight,” she said.

McDaniel said Giles was the ideal recipient for the Pay it Forward award, which borrows its name from the movie about doing selfless favors for people, because she is tirelessly helpful to others.

A variety of programs are available each quarter, keeping Giles steadily busy, yet on her personal time, she works with area coaches.

McDaniel said Giles meets with coaches on her own time and brainstorms ways to improve athletic programs and involve more people in activities and she has an impressive talent for recognizing how to work well with youth and excite them.

With such a large amount of responsibility Giles never loses her composure, McDaniel said.

“She has to keep a lot of people happy and while she does that she’s always positive,” he said. “Our rec programs are absolutely gigantic. To keep that manageable and the programs great, it’s a testiment to her.”

Giles said her ability to manage such a large volume of programs comes from years of experience, starting in 1983 when she coordinated programs for Kent.

“If you looked at my desk you would not think I’m organized at all,” she joked.

“I just have a knack for working with people, and remembering things and following through with everything I say I’m going to do for them,” Giles said.

The biggest challenge Giles faces in her career is working successfully with the budget alloted for the programs and keeping it balanced, but because she likes the work, it’s easy to stay energetic.

“It’s the love of what I do,” she said.

Reach Chaz Holmes at cholmes@courierherald.com or 360-802-8208.