Recently, eight recipients were congratulated for receiving the First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year Award in Juneau. Among the recipients was Kathy Gensel, the Director of the Central Peninsula Health Foundation for Central Peninsula Hospital, who was recognized for her work in bringing awareness to the Kenai Peninsula on the issues of homelessness and housing insecurity with her active engagement in Project Homeless Connect and Shelter Development workgroups, in addition to helping acquire a new facility that now houses the Nikiski Shelter of Hope.

On Wednesday, she received a mayoral proclamation from Soldotna Mayor Paul Whitney:
Also at the City Council meeting, a mayoral proclamation was issued to Charlene Tautfest, who’s the President of the Soldotna Rotary. She has focused most of her time on health care in the state, holding leadership roles on the Alaska Mental Health Board as Chair, Peninsula Community Health Services as President, and the Alaska Primary Care Association Policy and Advocacy Committee as Chair.