Cliff Meyer, 2011 Award Recipient

Cliff Meyer, 2011 Spirit of PEPS Award recipient

“I wanted to advocate for the creation of something interesting and valuable for an award, something that would be symbolic of PEPS, which is really a grass-roots model, and relies on community volunteers who give of their own time to help others starting on a whole new phase of their lives. 

But I didn’t feel that the award should be limited to the volunteer with the most hours, or created the biggest change in the organization - I want the award to be able to reflect those volunteers who had done a lot in a very personal way.” - Cliff Meyer, 2011 Award Recipient

Congratulations to Cliff Meyer, inaugural 2011 Spirit of PEPS Award recipient, amazing volunteer, PEPS ambassador and supporter. We can’t thank you enough for all that you have done for PEPS.

Growing up on the East Coast in the 70’s, Cliff was never required to perform community service to fulfill a school requirement, but came to volunteering more organically. His parents incorporated volunteering in their lives seamlessly, and seemed to have a lot of fun getting together with friends while doing work for good causes, donating time and money as a normal part of their civic lives. One of Cliff’s first volunteer jobs was as a tour guide at the main branch of the New York City Public Library, where he was on a first names basis with the two lion statues, Patience and Fortitude, guarding the main entrance. He went on to volunteer in college and was thrilled that in one of his first jobs, as an editor of a daily newspaper, he was free to volunteer during the day.

After moving to Seattle in 1993, it was natural for Cliff to continue volunteering. He joined the Board of the Seattle Youth Involvement Network, and after participating in a PEPS group with his wife Alle and newborn son, Cliff decided to volunteer for PEPS as a Group Facilitator. In addition to wanting to give back to the organization that had enabled him to join a very supportive parent group, Cliff knew that most facilitators were women, and wanted to counter the perception that both PEPS participants and PEPS volunteers were all moms. Since that start in 2005, Cliff joined the Board, serving on almost every Board Committee as well as serving as Board President for one term. In 2011, Cliff facilitated his second PEPS group.

When Cliff ended his tenure as a board member in 2011, we wanted to come up with a way to mark the occasion that suited him. Our Board Chair asked Cliff to contribute ideas for his own recognition, and from that, the idea for the “Spirit of PEPS Award” was born.

About the Author

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