Hansville honors community gem Lynn Hix

HANSVILLE — It’s not often that a true gem is found at a rummage sale. For the Hansville community, however, the gem is the glue that holds the rummage sale together. That glue is Lynn Hix.

On Nov. 19, the Hansville Community Center board honored Hix with the annual “Citizen of the Year” award for her endless, incalculable service to the community.

Hix, 64, who’s best known for spearheading the rummage sale every year since 2002, served in various volunteer positions in the community. She’s treasurer of the Hansville Art Guild, a second-grade tutor at Wolfle Elementary and serves as the representative of Point No Point View Estates on the Greater Hansville Area Advisory Council.

In 2004 she was elected vice president of the Hansville Community Center and was elected the center’s president in 2006, serving through May this year.

“She’s very deserving of the award. She’s done so much for the community,” said Hansville resident Fred Nelson, who was recently elected as president of the community center for 2009.

Because the community center is owned by the community and not Kitsap County Parks and Recreation, presidents of the community center wear many hats.

They are responsible for running all the board meetings, renting out the facility and maintaining the building.

It’s all volunteer.

“I don’t do all this stuff to be honored. I just do it because it’s a fun thing to do,” Hix said. “I thrive on it.”

After retiring, Hix said she didn’t have a lot on her plate but once she started getting her feet wet volunteering, there was no stopping her.

From the holiday decorations to quilting with her quilt guild, Hix somehow finds time in her day to accomplish it all.

“When it needs to get done it gets done,” she said laughing.

Although she no longer serves on the community center’s board she said she’ll continue to help out where she can.

“I really don’t have any function other than the rummage sale but whenever anybody needs help, I’ll help,” she said, adding that she looks forward to a little more at-home relaxation time.

The community has a long history of wonderful volunteers, she said. Hix believes there are more community members waiting to fill her shoes.

“I think we have a lot of up-and-coming people that will step up to the job,” she said. But with all Hix’s community efforts, whoever decides to take on her volunteer activities will have to have some pretty big feet.

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