Youth volunteer Bridge named 2025 Citizen of the Year
Published 1:30 pm Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Longtime youth volunteer John Bridge was named Citizen of the Year for 2025 at the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce’s annual Citizen of the Year Awards Luncheon held Tuesday at The Cedars at Dungeness.
Gary Huff was a finalist for the honor, and Sequim High School senior Laila Sundin was named the first recipient of the chamber’s new Emerging Leader award.
All three were recognized for their service to the community during the luncheon, which drew about 75 attendees and occurred as the Sequim Gazette was preparing to go to press.
“The 2025 Citizen of the Year was awarded to John Bridge for his many years of working with youth in our community,” the chamber stated in a press release. “From refereeing to coaching and mentoring student athletes and chess team competitors to serving on boards for the Sequim School District and Sequim Education Foundation, John’s breadth of service over several decades is something many of the Citizens of the Year since 1968 have had in common.”
Asked by the Sequim Gazette how he felt about receiving the honor, Bridge said, “Overwhelmed, because I have known so many of the other winners of this, and it just feels great.”
As winner of the Emerging Leader award, Sundin will receive a scholarship for the Business Leadership Academy at Peninsula College.
A Sequim native, the teen is a dual sport varsity athlete, a member of the National Honor Society, an elected student leader, and a community volunteer.
Huff, a member of the board of the Olympic Peninsula YMCA, was a finalist for Citizen of the Year because of his fundraising efforts that not only benefited the Y but helped ensure that no one is ever turned away due to inability to pay for a membership. His volunteer work also includes trail maintenance in the Olympic National Park.
Every year, the chamber holds the awards luncheon to honor local volunteers, with nominations opening in the late fall and awards announced in February. More information about the program can be found at sequimchanmber.com/coty/.
Sequim Citizens of the
Year (since 1992)
1995 — Rochelle McHugh
1996 — Esther Nelson
1997 — Annette Hanson
1998 — Jim & Cathy Carl
1999 — Bill Fatherson
2000 — Robert Clark
2001 — Don Knapp
2002 — Gil Oldenkamp
2003 — John Beitzel
2004 — Emily Westcott
2005 — Lee Lawrence
2006 — Bob & Elaine Caldwell
2007 — Stephen Rosales
2008 — Walt & Sherry Schubert
2009 — Tom Schaafsma
2010 — Jim Pickett
2011 — Dick Hughes
2012 — Kevin Kennedy
2013 — Gary Smith
2014 — Cliff Vining
2015 — Louie Rychlik
2016 — Dave Bekkevar
2017 — Judy Reandeau Stipe
2018 — Don, Clare Manis Hatler
2019 — Deon Kapetan
2020 — First responders
2021 — Jean Wyatt
2022 — David Blakeslee
2023 — Renne Emiko Brock
2024 — Ron Stecker
