I want to thank all of you for your participation in this year’s Community Service Awards. All of us here at Serenity Lane and our partners at Chambers Construction, KEZI and Columbia Bank are thrilled to be able to have this moment to pause and celebrate with you.

 

It is times like these that show what we are made of as a community. Many of us were already working long days in emotionally taxing efforts before the pandemic hit. The disease of addiction does not rest and neither have we. I know there have been moments when we wondered if we could go on. Again and again, so many of you rose to the occasion, advocating for the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors.

 

For all those of you who nominated someone, thank you for shining a light on these amazing people and teams.

 

And to all of our winners, congratulations, and thank you for everything you do.

 

 

Congratulations to all of the winners! Keep your eyes on your mailbox for a certificate and a small memento of your your award to arrive in the next week.

Jerry Gjesvold, our long time Employee Services Manager retired this year after 36 years at Serenity Lane. To call Jerry an hero in the fight against addiction would just be scratching the surface of the impact he has had in the field. In his tenure, Jerry helped thousands of people get into treatment and was a trusted expert in public and private organizations around the state. The pandemic did not allow us the opportunity to send him off in the manner he deserved. Thank you, Jerry for your years of service and for your contributions to this life saving work.