Small— but mighty

LYNNWOOD — She’s small in stature but large in heart.

Sharon Steele has been named Citizen of the Year for 2004.

Steele, a community volunteer, along with two Lynnwood Police Officers, were recently honored at a ceremony sponsored by the Lynnwood Elks Lodge. (See related story above)

While she was pleasantly surprised by the honor, she said a lot of people who volunteer deserve the same credit.

“It is lovely to be recognized but this isn’t why I do it— it’s not my motivation,” Steele said. “The awards I receive are the thank yous in the faces of people that get a need met or if their life was made easier by something I was able to do.”

While she lives in south Everett, Steele spends most of her time in the Lynnwood area for work and helping keep this city and south county a safer place to be as a member of the Lynnwood Police Citizens Patrol. She is also a licensed amateur radio operator and volunteers to help agencies such as the Southwest Snohomish County Emergency Services Coordinating Agency (ESCA) with emergency communications in cases of mass casualty incidents or natural disasters.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met someone so giving,” said Trudy Dana, coordinator for Lynnwood’s Citizens Patrol. “Sharon is so incredibly giving … and would do anything for anyone.”

When Steel isn’t carrying a couple of radios and cell phone from her hips she is a rehabilitation technician for the state.

“I’ve always been service-oriented. Every job I’ve ever held has been of service to individuals or to the community,” Steele said. “I believe it’s my purpose in life to be of service.”

At 63 years old, Steele said she has been volunteering on and off for about 20 years – time which adds up to more than 4,000 hours of community service.

For these 4,000 hours she was also honored in December with The Presidents Call to Service Award through the USA Freedom and Citizens Corps.

But while most people may be lucky to fit in 4,000 hours of volunteering in a lifetime, Steel believes this is just the beginning.

“I have plenty of more time to do 4,000 more,” she said, adding “It’s not about me, it’s about the service to our community.”

Steele said in a couple of years she will be eligible for retirement but she won’t be “re-tiring,” but instead “Re-treading.”

“I plan to be even more involved in community service and outreach,” she said. Adding, when people say ‘thank you’ and ‘how do you do it all’ I say ‘it’s all by the grace of God and for his glory.”