Park City Rotary Club announces Citizens of the Year

The Rotary Club recognized Jim Gaddis and Katie Wright to receive the 2021 Citizen of the Year awards in a ceremony held at Rotary Park August 17. Photo: Park City Rotary Club

PARK CITY, Utah — Last week, the Park City Rotary Club chose Jim Gaddis and Katie Wright to receive the 2021 Citizen of the Year awards.

“In our Rotary Club we are all motivated to serve our community,” said Rotarian Bob Richer, who oversees the awards. “But it’s also important for us as Rotarians to recognize those outside of our club who really make a difference through their service to the community. Jim and Katie are just two examples of the great citizens we have here in Park City who are dedicated to making our community an even better place.”

The club picked Gaddis for the Jack C. Green Volunteer Citizen of the Year award. He has worked with local sports programs through the Youth Sports Alliance and has been a longtime benefactor of athletics in the region.

Gaddis is a Utah native, a national champion, and an NCAA All-American from the University of Utah. After the 2002 Olympics, he founded the Youth Sports Alliance. He also chaired the Stein Eriksen YSA Opportunity Endowment campaign which provides scholarships to local athletes.

The program selected Wright for the Linda Singer-Berrett Professional Citizen of the Year award. A graduate of Leadership Park City and former Peace Corps member, she has worked in the local nonprofit sector for over 13 years. She most recently retired from her role as executive director of the Park City Community Foundation.

At the Community Foundation, she launched several initiatives — Save Our Snow, Live PC Give PC, Women’s Giving Fund, Solomon Fund, the Climate Fund, the Early Childhood Alliance, and Social Equity. Under her leadership, the foundation doubled its assets under management and tripled its staff. She helped raised over $3.8 million for the Community Response Fund, which was created to help those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

“We are so blessed in our community of Park City to have individuals like Jim Gaddis and Katie Wright,” said Park City Rotary Club President Ryan Dickey. “The direct service and support they have provided here is immeasurable. But what is even more important is the example they have set here in Park City, both for now and for future generations who will look back on their contributions.”

Gaddis and Wright will be featured in this year’s Miners’ Day parade on Main Street on September 6. They will also be joined by last year’s winners, Karen Marriott and Rich Bullough, who missed out on the parade due to it being canceled because of the pandemic.

You can register your neighborhood, nonprofit, company, or community organization to be in this year’s Miners’ Day Parade on September 6 here.