Bill Boyle, Dianne Campbell and the Buckley Kiwanis Club are recipients of this year’s Champion Award, presented by the White River Families First Coalition.

The award was established in 2011 as a way to recognize the service and dedication of those who make their community better.  Each year, many individuals and groups offer their time and talent to help others and make contributions within the White River School District. The Families First Coalition helps assure their contributions do not go unnoticed.

Each year’s Champion Award recipients are nominated by members of the community because they have made a powerful difference without necessarily having the benefit of holding an office, title or position.

This year’s honorees will be honored at a reception beginning at 3:30 p.m. June 23 at the Buckley Fire Station.

The following write-ups about each award recipient were provided by the Families First Coalition.

• Bill Boyle served as a volunteer with the city of Buckley Fire Department for almost 30 years and recently retired from the position of assistant chief.  In 2002, Bill took over and developed the Community Christmas giving program that the Buckley Firefighters Association provides today. He spent hours each fall promoting the program, raising money, and gathering toys.  He wanted to make sure every child was provided with Christmas gifts. Because of Bill’s kind heart and giving spirit, the program has evolved into a more comprehensive family support project.  Bill often reaches into his own pocket to provide for family needs, which extend above and beyond the general scope of the program.  Not only has Bill made a powerful difference in the White River community as a whole, his leadership and example and his desire to serve in our community continues to bless others.

• Dianne Campbell’s main role is as a teacher at White River High School, where her work for the past 40 years has made a difference in many individual lives.  Although Dianne is a “well-decorated” veteran teacher, we honor her for the impact she has had beyond the classroom and the school. The programs she has created benefits our entire community and will impact us for generations.  The Buddy Up program encourages high school students reach out to senior citizens.  The Little Buddies program sends high school students out to elementary schools to encourage learning.  The Connections Program makes connections between individuals with disabilities and their typically-developing peers. In a word, Dianne Campbell teaches compassion. Not only does she teach it, but she lives it.

The lessons she teaches her students will continue to impact our community in a positive way as those students continue to return to our community to make their own contributions and raise children in a positive atmosphere of inclusion, tolerance, intergenerational understanding and compassion.

• Chartered in 1928, The Buckley Kiwanis Club currently consists of a small group of people with large hearts who strive to do service projects to better our community. They work tirelessly to feed the White River community through maintaining the Buckley Kiwanis Food Bank. They provide funding to the Loomis Memorial Clothing Bank, sponsor and run the Youth Fishing Derby, cosponsor the K-Family Community Christmas Party and maintain the yard at a local Helping Hand house. The Club provides valuable support to the Glacier Middle School Builder’s Club and the White River High School Key Club to help them provide their many service projects.  The tagline for Kiwanis International is “Children – their future, our focus” and the members of the Buckley Kiwanis strive to provide projects in our community to foster caring and support for the youth in the White River community.