By RACHEL BRANT
Staff writer
When he retired from the U.S. Coast Guard, Randy Peterson wanted to find a way to give back to the community.
He found the Clear Creek Task Force and more than 15 years later, Peterson continues to work hard on the Clear Creek Trail.
Peterson, Clear Creek Trail maintenance supervisor, received the “Everyday Hero” award from the Central Kitsap Kiwanis last week.
“This is an award that we give when we find a person in the community we feel is deserving,” said CK Kiwanis Secretary Bruce Van Woudenberg. “We’ve given two out in about the last three years.”
CK Kiwanis members nominated potential “Everyday Hero” award winners and then the board of directors voted for the award recipient. Peterson is the first Clear Creek Trail volunteer to win the certificate and medal from CK Kiwanis.
“Our Kiwanis club believes Randy Peterson well qualifies for the award for all the volunteer work he has done to build and maintain the Clear Creek Trail,” Van Woudenberg said. “A lot of kudos goes to the (Clear Creek) task force and Randy has really been a big, big part of it.”
The CK Kiwanis invited Peterson to their breakfast meeting last Wednesday at Crista Shores Retirement Community in Silverdale and surprised him with the “Everyday Hero” award. Peterson came prepared to give a presentation about the Clear Creek Trail and was pleasantly surprised to learn he received the award.
“Well it was certainly a total shock,” Peterson chuckled. “They snuck it up on me.”
Van Woudenberg said Peterson was the perfect candidate for the “Everyday Hero” award “because of his years of quiet but diligent work on the Clear Creek Trail.”
“Since it was constructed, he has almost single-handedly taken care of the day-to-day maintenance of the trail and structures found along the trail,” Van Woudenberg said. “Due in large part to Randy’s many years of volunteer effort, the trail system is safe for people to use.”
Peterson said he will frame his certificate and display it, along with the medal, at his home. He was honored to receive the award and said the CK Kiwanis also are an important contributor to the Clear Creek Trail.
“(The award) was much appreciated and we appreciate their (CK Kiwanis) continued support,” Peterson said. “They’ve been a big part of it since the very beginning.”
The CK Kiwanis help maintain the Clear Creek Trail and host the annual Salmon in the Classroom project along the trail.
Peterson said his level of involvement with the Clear Creek Trail has even surprised himself, but the trail continues to be a nice escape from the “hustle and bustle” of everyday life for many people in Kitsap County.
“You can get yourself away from the hustle and bustle of the town with just a few steps onto the trail,” Peterson said.
