Community board president named state volunteer of the year
The Home Care Association of Washington (HCAW) announced at its 20th annual conference in Seattle that Dan Spjut, a 7-year volunteer with Community Home Health & Hospice (Community), was awarded the 2013 Volunteer of the Year. Dan serves as the president of Community’s volunteer governing board, guiding the nonprofit agency during some of its most formative and critical years in its nearly 40-year history.
HCAW is the largest and most diverse home care association in Washington State representing agencies who have thousands of volunteers statewide.
Dan is retired from Weyerhaeuser and lives in Kelso with his wife, Debi. He contributes close to 400 hours to Community each year. His dedication comes from a strong belief in Community’s mission to care for patients and families in their homes, and for those who are facing terminal illness. His caring involvement has inspired others to get more involved and increase their philanthropy. As board president, the agency’s annual fundraiser has doubled the funds raised. Dan also played a key role in the successful resolution of a Certificate of Need application for an inpatient hospice facility in Clark County.
Community CEO Greg Pang writes of Dan’s leadership, “I cannot express in words my deep appreciation for Dan as a volunteer and community member. Boards will always struggle with ‘micromanaging’ on one extreme to ‘rubber stamping’ on the other. Dan strikes the perfect balance. He has set the bar for volunteer nonprofit leadership.”
