Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 27, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 11     (11 of 20 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 11     (11 of 20 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
September 27, 2012
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




...... i Businesswomen honored for helping others BUS[NESSBRIEFS By GORDON WEEKS gordon@ma~'o~co~i~y.com One Shelton businesswoman overcame drugs and life on the streets to thrive and help needy families. Another, described as "the smile of Green Diamond," is dedicated to helping children succeed in schools. A third works tirelessly to expand and im- prove local libraries, to make them "one of the hearts of the community." They are, respectively, Stephanie Fyfe, Diana Goldy and Patty Ayala Ross. All three were honored for their exemplary dedication to community life at Mason General Hospital Foundation's 15th an- nual American Business Women's Award luncheon Sept. 21 at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Shelton. Fyfe, the owner of Steph's Espresso, earned her GED at age 16 and then gradu- ated from a technical school with a degree m building remodeling and repair. But drugs and aimlessness derailed her life. Relatives in Shelton offered her a job and a place to live. These days, as one employee wrote, "She takes care of her employees, and a lot of other people as well." Throughout the past eight years, Fyfe has raised almost $50,000 to help needy fami- lies with Christmas. Fyfe and her friends, relatives and other volunteers have stuffed goodies into more than 175,000 plastic eggs for Easter egg hunts the past five years. Last year, Fyfe filled 25 backpacks with clothing and new shoes for children stay- ing at the Turning Pointe domestic violence shelter. She supplies Thanksgiving dinners to 10 needy families each year, sponsors sports teams, assists with donations to local 4-H groups and participates in the Shelton Relay For Life to help find a cure for cancer. "This is a small town, but there's a lot of /~ heart," Fyfe told the au- dience. "If you need help, you just need to ask." Goldy was still a stu- dent at Western Wash- ington University when she began her career with Simpson/Green Dia- mond in 1975. She spent her summers working as Stephanie a mill tour guide and per- Fyfe sonnel clerk. ' Her positions at Simp- ~!~i: #-'~ ~ i:: ~ son have included shop clerk/time keeper, weigh ~:~:~.a~J scale attendant, recep- ~ ~iI tionist and telecommu- nications coordinator. ~i~ii~i~ii!!l Geldy is .now office ser- ~t>~~?::~ vices manager. ~i~ii~. i : Edward Jones financial advisor danis Byrd, a past Diana president of the Mason Goldy General Hospital Foun- dation who emceed the ~lawards event, pointed out that Goldy installed and managed the phone sys- tems throughout Simpson locations in Washington, Oregon and California. She has also served on the Mary M. Knight School District board of directors and as a Mary M. Knight Patty Ayala Parent-Teacher Orgauiza- Ross tion officer. "This is a lady of a lot of talents, and different talents," she said. Goldy said providing rural children with opportunities outside their regions is im- portant to her. The native of rural Matlock told the audience that when she told city kids at camps where she was from, they asked her if she knew how to square dance. Over the years, Goldy has donated her time to such educational endeavors as the Building Bridges/Readiness to Learn Con- sortium, the Norm Cook Scholarship, the Mark E. Reed Scholarship, the Educational Service District #113 representing Mason and East Grays Harbor counties, and as a board liaison to the ESD #113 Policy Coun- cil for Head Start and ECAP. "It's an old clich6, 'It takes a village,q~ut it really does," she said. Ross, who has been the manager of the Shelton Timberland/William G. Reed Pub- lic Library since October 2006, said she was reluctant to move to Shelton. "I Came here kicking and screaming. ~You're taking' me where?' And (now) I swear no one is taking me from Shelton?' The native of Kelso/Longview oversaw the library annexation vote of 2009, and the library remodel of 2011. Several people nominated Ross for the honor, and one of her employees described her as "dynamic, supportive and vision- ary." In turn, Ross thanked "my incredible, talented staff.., my cheerleaders and sup- port groups." Those who don't think a library manager is a business person should take into ac- count these numbers: Ross oversees 22 em- ployees, about 100,000 pieces of inventory, about 30,000 annual customer transactions and an annual budget of $3.4 million. "Every day, I think of how I can improve our customer service, our patron service," she said. The Harstine Island resident is active on the SOUND Learning Board, the Shelton Kiwanis Board, the United Way Fund Dis- tribution Committee, the League of Women Voters, and the newly formed Mason Coun- ty Early Learning Coalition Committee. Shelton photographer captures, beauty, tells stories By GORDON WEEKS gordonGrna;~onco~nty°con~ A good portrait ]photographer is "anyone who wants ~ make their cli- ents feel good about' ~emselves," said Doni McCullough, who this week offi- cially launches DJMdesigns Photogra- phy in downtown Shelton. "The greatest joy is to get a hug from someone who says,'"Eou made me look beautiful' ... It's important to bring out the beauty in everyone," Mc- Cullough said. DJMdesigns Photography cel- ebrates its grand opening with a rib- bon-cutting ceremony at noon Friday at 218 W. Cota St. McCullough spe- cializes in wedding and engagement photography and senior portraits. McCullough first picked up a cam- Journal photo by Gordon Weeks Travis and Doni McCullough explored five or six locations for DJMdesigns Photography before renting space at 218 W. Cota St. 'Can I do this for a living?" McCullough and her hus- era while working as an intern writing band Travis have two sons, articles and shooting photographs for a Alden and Seamus, who are newsletter at the Leschi Center in Se- autistic. Wanting to supple- attle. She also draws, which gives her a background in light and shadows. Years later, she photographed a friend s wedding as a gift. People check- ing out the portraits said, 'Oh, this is what you, do for a living?" McCullough recalled. 'It was a light bulb moment: Half the Time, a most Half the Price,. Now that's something to smile about! ® Technology that ................................... i straightenSteeth in 3 monthsall your ==at==: 1 oil r FREi Consultat nfo-r I I FASTBRACES ~ Richard C Downing, DDS ' *( ...... be combined with any other offer),,~"~,! i1626_.Olympic H_.~. N.:.. The°ffice°fiimiiiiRichardCmiDOlwning''DD$' Sr~eholi m~a • • Convenient Payment Plans Available , Richard C. Downing, DDS 1626 Olympic Hwy " .... Shelton (360) 426-4712 • www.SheltonDental.com ment her husband's income while remaining close to home for her sons, Mc- Cullough photographed two or three weddings a year for a couple years. "Someone called one day and asked, 'Do you do en- gagement pictures?' This has all been a comedy of, 'Oh, I guess I could do that!" Three years ago, Mc- Cullough started shooting se- nior photos, and then added events. Then McCullough's father told her, "It's time to do it, or get off the pot"- meaning launching her busi- ness outside the home. McCullough said she tries to tell a story while shoot- ing senior portraits, creating images that can be enjoyed long after the teens have out- grown their current interests and looks. Working with the portrait subjects helps her with her shyness, she said. "Taking pictures has brought me out of my shell." !! nlgies 427 9099 19390 North U.S. Hwy. 101 Skokomish Nation, WA 98584 Skokomish Indian Tribal At the intersection of Hwy. 101 & Hwy. 106 Enter nses SITE) P ' ( .... minutes north of Shelton on the Skokomish Indian Reservation 3-p.iece m ..Ljg Chicken t & dO dO S .... o~ ..... = ..... .~ .... 3 16 Coors~,Coorst,gh~ Comp!ete I Winston ...... .. 16 e 40 Carto~, S' t ~'i~5 5 18 pk. ................. | | | SKOKOMISH N Ntt N N , ........... ' I :Wat front i GRILL NP.Yt |P: tlatch i i ~ Qu It ng Smoking Now Greatly Reduces I t Res0rt-Cabms'Motel RVs I~uyHeoucesl I tlJlll~,'7",~I • ~t --~,~u~.~,~l~m~ I ~'~~I1~ III ...... . .... < . I1 SkokomishPark.com • 360-877-5760 Shelton-Mason County Journal- Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 - Page B-3