PARK CITY, Utah (Aug. 17, 2021) - A Park City Rotary Club program to honor local citizens for their contributions to the community began in 1981 and continues on today. The Rotary Club recognized Jim Gaddis and Katie Wright to receive the 2021 Citizen of the Year awards in a ceremony held at Rotary Park August 17.
 
Gaddis, a longtime benefactor of sport and athletic programs in the region, was recognized for his work with local grassroots sports programs through the Youth Sports Alliance  as the Jack C. Green Volunteer Citizen of the Year. Katie, who served in an impactful leadership role with the Park City Community Foundation, was named the Linda Singer-Berrett Professional Citizen of the Year.
 
“We are so blessed in our community of Park City to have individuals like Jim Gaddis and Katie Wright,” said Park City Rotary Club President Ryan Dickey.
“The direct service and support they have provided here is immeasurable. But what is even more important is the example they have set here in Park City, both for now and for future generations who will look back on their contributions.”
 
Gaddis and Wright will be honored with a showcase place in the Sept. 6 Miners’ Day parade down historic Main Street. They will be joined by last year’s Citizen of the Year recipients Karen Marriott and Rich Bullough, who missed that opportunity when last year’s parade was cancelled due to COVID.
 
A Utah native, Gaddis was a national champion and an NCAA All America selection from the University of Utah. Over the past decades he has been a guiding light for youth sports organizations. Following the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, he co-founded the Youth Sports Alliance, which has provided a vital link to local sports programs for youth. He also chaired the Stein Eriksen YSA Opportunity Endowment campaign that continues to provide much-needed scholarships to local athletes.
 
One of Gaddis’ hallmarks is how he has engaged his friends and colleagues to create a broader impact. His efforts have helped raise millions for young boys and girls to assist them in sport engagement - not just to achieve athletic success, but to better their lives. He has been instrumental in helping YSA with its Get Out & Play introductory sports program and its ACTiV8 after-school program emphasizing healthy, screen-free activities for middle and junior high aged students, fundraising support for seven competitive winter sports teams, and need-based training scholarships for junior athletes.
His work with YSA is just one of the local programs he has touched. He was an early supporter of the National Ability Center in Park City, recognizing its importance to our community.
 
When Wright returned from a successful run with the Peace Corps in Morocco, she wanted to bring that same sense of service back to her home town. A former Rotarian with Sunrise Rotary and a graduate of Leadership Park City, Wright has long been involved with civic organizations at the city and county level. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 13 years in Park City, recently retiring from her role as executive director of the Park City Community Foundation.
At the Community Foundation, she helped launch multiple initiatives including Save Our Snow, Live PC Give PC, Women's Giving Fund, Solomon Fund, the Climate Fund, the Early Childhood Alliance, Social Equity, and more. In her six years as executive director, she was instrumental in more than doubling its assets under management as well as tripling the staff.
 
The awards committee cited her as an exemplary Parkite, with full-time involvement through work and volunteer opportunities in different task forces and committees. Since the pandemic began, her involvement led her to advocate for those in our community who were disproportionately impacted and to launch the Community Response Fund, which raised over $3.8 million. Her advocacy has inspired other organizations to embrace equity and inclusion into their practices in a way our community had not yet experienced.
 
“In our Rotary Club we are all motivated to serve our community,” said Rotarian Bob Richer, who oversees the awards. “But it’s also important for us as Rotarians to recognize those outside of our club who really make a difference through their service to the community. Jim and Katie are just two examples of the great citizens we have here in Park City who are dedicated to making our community an even better place.”
 
The Jack C. Green Volunteer Citizen of the Year award is named after the former Park City mayor from 1978-86 who was instrumental in rallying community volunteerism during the community’s formative years as a destination resort. The Linda Singer-Berrett Professional Citizen of the Year Award is named in honor of Park City Rotary’s first female president who was a strong community leader in her role as a teacher and school principal before her passing in 2000.
A special Community Appreciation Award for 2020-21 will be announced by the Park City Rotary Club on August 24.
 
The Park City Rotary Club was the original Rotary Club in the community, starting in 1980. Today there are three. It started its citizen of the year awards program in 1981, adding the professional category in 1993. The list of 67 past recipients is a veritable who’s who of individuals who have made a vital difference to the quality of life in the Park City community.
 
The club was named Utah Rotary Club of the Year in 2014. It is widely recognized for its service projects in the community and its support of local nonprofits. Among its many activities in the annual Miners’ Day festival, set this year for September 6. The day will feature a parade, daylong festival for the community in City Park and the annual Running of the Balls, which raises upwards of $50,000 for local causes. Checkout information on how you can participate at www.parkcityminersday.org.

PARK CITY ROTARY CLUB CITIZENS OF THE YEAR - PAST RECIPIENTS 
Jack C. Green Volunteer Citizen of the Year

2021 - Jim Gaddis
2020-21 - Special community appreciation awards TBA
2019 - Karen Marriott
2018 - Wally and Lorraine Stuecken
2017 - Craig Cooper 
2016 - Carol Loomis
2015 - Kim McClelland
2014 - Glenn Artist
2013 - Bruce Erickson
2012 - Mo Hickey
2011 - Joel Fine
2010 - Mary and Charlie Wintzer
2009 - Lynn Fey and Sydney Reed
2008 - JoAnn Krajeski
2007 - Val Chin
2006 - KPCW Radio Volunteer DJs
2005 - Summit County Sheriff Search and Rescue
2004 - William Brown
2003 - Toni Gannon and Tom Heffron
2002 - Sarah Jones
2001 - Arlene and Lew Fine
2000 - Lani Furr
1999 - Dana Williams
1998 - Linda Meyers
1997 - Shelley Weiss
1996 - Debbie Reid
1995 - Summit County Friends of Animals
1994 - Dixie Geisdorf
1993 - Evelyn Richards
1992 - Park City Ambassadors
1991 - Lou Hudson
1990 - Jack Dozier
1989 - Bob Marsh
1988 - Meeche White
1987 - Bob Wells
1986 - Nan McPolin
1985 - Ann MacQuoid
1984 - Jack Green
1983 - Tina Lewis
1982 - Emergency Medical Technicians
1981 - Bea Kummer
 
Linda Singer-Berrett Professional Citizen of the Year
2021 - Katie Wright, Park City Community Foundation
2020-21 - Special community appreciation awards TBA
2019 - Rich Bullough, Summit County
2018 - Anita Lewis, Summit County
2017 - Charlie Sturgis, Mountain Trails Foundation
2016 - Wendy Fisher and Cheryl Fox, open space advocates
2015 - Leslie Thatcher, KPCW
2014 - Colin Hilton, Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation
2013 - Mike Leurs, Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District
2012 - Sister Mary Ann Pajakowski, Holy Cross Ministries
2011 - Randy Barton, Egyptian Theater
2010 - Scott Loomis, Mountainlands Community Housing
2009 - Not awarded
2008 - Candy Erickson, Park City leader
2007 - Lloyd Evans, Park City Police
2006 - Nora Shepard, Summit County Community Development
2005 - Hal Smith, Park City High School
2004 - Rob Slettom, Identity Properties
2003 - Julie Wilson, Deer Valley Resort
2002 - Bonnie Park, Snyderville Basin Rec
2001 - Michael Shepherd, Park City High School Football
2000 - Bob Wheaton, Deer Valley Resort
1999 - Troy Duffin, Mountain Trails
1998 - Ron Ivie, Park City Municipal
1997 - Stein Eriksen, Deer Valley Resort
1996 - Mary Morrison, Recycle Utah
1995 - Rick Brough, KPCW
1994 - Tom Cammermeyer, Norwegian School
1993 - Nick Badami, Park City Ski Area