FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Outstanding Bainbridge Philanthropists Honored
Bainbridge Island, Washington
August 31, 2012
Bainbridge Community Foundation is pleased to announce recipients of its 2012 Outstanding
Philanthropist recognition.
Lois Curtis, 2012 Outstanding Bainbridge Philanthropist
Lois Curtis has been active in the community from the time she came to Bainbridge Island with her
husband King over 40 years ago. While raising four children, Curtis found her first opportunity to serve
the community. The local nursery school was undergoing a leadership transition and needed to
relocate. She donated land for the construction of a new Bainbridge Island Cooperative Nursery School.
Over time, she would dedicate herself to countless other community causes, from libraries, to schools,
to civic politics. The list of nonprofit organizations she would come to support is countless and spreads
across cultural, civic, environmental, education, and human service sectors. Her crowning philanthropic
act, however, came with the donation of a six-acre parcel of land near the ferry terminal for a
community land trust managed by Housing Resources Board. With it, she will help enable hundreds of
individuals who work in our community to raise their families here as well. “I wanted the land to be
used for good, to provide a benefit to local people, and to help give people who work hard to make our
community great, an opportunity to actually live here too.”
Zephyr Wadkins, 2012 Outstanding Young Philanthropist
Zephyr Wadkins was born and raised in the Fletcher Bay neighborhood on Bainbridge Island. A 2010
graduate of Bainbridge High School, he left Bainbridge to spend two years in college in Bellingham. A
cross-country bike trip opened his eyes to the discovery of new places. Upon his return, he set his eyes
on discovering unknown corners of the island. He found such a place in a sun-lit meadow surrounded by
near Gazzam Lake – a place that was almost literally in his back yard. Though its majesty stood at par
with any he’d seen across the country, it was a virtual secret. It was then that Wadkins took it upon
himself to learn more about the Keep Gazzam Wild Campaign. With the passion to make a difference,
he sponsored an art show to benefit the campaign. His artists were seventh graders from Hyla Middle
School. With the assistance of art teacher Laura Jones, Wadkins taught the students about Gazzam Lake
and helped inspire in them the courage to foster a vulnerable resource. One student’s artist statement
put it best when they said, “…nature fits together like a puzzle. If one piece is missing, the puzzle doesn’t
work anymore."
Conrad Zimney, 2012 Outstanding Young Philanthropist
Conrad Zimney took a senior project and made it his passion. The 2012 graduate of Bainbridge High
School sought out to create a senior project that would not only represent who he is, but in doing so
would help the greater good as well – an idea he credits to his mother, longtime local volunteer Sandy
Schubach. Growing up next door to Gazzam Lake, he’s always assumed that it would be a permanent
fixture of the community. That’s why when he learned of the campaign to protect a large portion of the
park from residential development, he knew he had to do something to help. For Zimney, photography
is a passion. He had never thought of himself as necessarily talented, but he knew that he took pictures
with his heart. When he walked into the offices of the Bainbridge Island Land Trust with a stack of
printed photo cards, his hope was that they’d be put to use. What happened was far greater. The land
trust sold the photo cards, and then requested an additional print run. In all more than $3,000 was
raised through the sale of Zimney’s cards – all of which was contributed to the Keep Gazzam Wild
Campaign.
Danny Smith and the Island Church Youth Group, 2012 Outstanding Philanthropic Organization
Danny Smith is the adult leader of the Island Church Youth Group. Last year, the group embarked upon
a project to help two underserved and particularly vulnerable groups in our community: frail seniors and
adults with developmental disabilities. Their goal – to give a lasting and memorable experience that
would surround them with uninhibited joy. Working with the Elder and Adult Day Services (EADS), the
youth group along with many from the congregation, painstakingly planned every detail – from a meal
specifically catered to their dietary needs, to decorations that would rival any high school prom, to live
music played by members of the group, to the charming photographs set amid an “Under the Sea”
themed backdrop, to the piece de resistance: the crowning of the king and queen. To date, the youth
group has hosted two of these proms for EADS families and the experience has been unforgettable.
The honorees will be officially recognized at an event on September 15th at IslandWood.
The Bainbridge Community Foundation was founded in 2001 in order to sustain and enhance our vibrant
community and the way of life we enjoy by supporting the nonprofits that serve our neighbors and
friends. This has allowed us to become uniquely informed about the health of the nonprofit sector and
remain actively engaged in its effectiveness. We also introduce donors to organizations working in the
areas they care about, and provide ways for donors to support those causes effectively. The BCF
currently has over $7 million in assets and has distributed more than $3.5 million in grants to date.
CONTACT:
Jim Hopper, Executive Director
O: 206.842.0433
C: 425.444.4243
E: jim@bainbridgecf.org