Bruce Kaiser Named 2015 Tigard’s First Citizen

Bruce Kaiser,  a retired educator with a PHD from Stanford and a 39 year career across a breadth of roles spanning from high school teacher to top level school district administrator, has been selected as the 2015 recipient of the Tigard’s First Citizen award.   This award recognizes someone who has made in-depth, long-term volunteer contributions to the Tigard community over the years. The winner is active, involved, interested, and enthusiastic about making Tigard a nice place to live and work. This individual excels in any area of unpaid endeavor of education, social services, youth work, and community improvement of public services. This award is given in the spirit of all volunteers who remain unknown. The recipient joins the ranks of those previously honored in continually striving to improve the Tigard Area. Bruce’s involvement in the Tigard community is broad and deep particularly since his 1998 retirement from his education career.  As part of his involvement with the Tigard Kiwanis he has spent over 1,500 hours in the last 8 years volunteering at Medical Teams International (a local Tigard non-profit) packing medical supplies for international shipment to support programs such as Doctors without Borders.  Bruce served as Kiwanis Advisor to the Tigard High School Key Club in the early 2000’s and then took responsibility for advising the Sherwood High School Key Club which he is still doing today.  Both Key Clubs are volunteer service organizations sponsored by Tigard Kiwanis.  Bruce also currently serves on the Board of Directors for Tigard Kiwanis.
Bruce has donated 10+ years of cooking dinner three times/month for 20-40 residents, leading members of Tigard Kiwanis, Tigard United Methodist Church and High School Key Clubs in that activity at the Good Neighbor Center (GNC), a family homeless shelter in Tigard.  In addition to handling all the logistics of these meals, Bruce has driven to the Oregon Food Bank monthly to pick up food ordered by GNC Staff and helps keep the landscaping maintained on a frequent basis.  Bruce currently serves on the Board of Directors for Good Neighbor Center.  
His involvement with his church, the Tigard United Methodist Church includes spending 8-20 hours each week as a volunteer landscaper for more than the last 10 years.  This includes a variety of activities such as removing invasive species, litter pick up, replacing and mowing grass, removing weeds and more.  Through his church, Bruce serves as a “busboy” for the noon meal at the Tigard Senior center.  Continuing his volunteer service, Bruce has helped Calvin Presbyterian Church each winter with their set up of their Emergency Shelter for the homeless setting up cots and cooking and serving dinner as needed.
In the words of those who nominated him “Bruce is one of those unique individuals who cannot say “no” to any request for help and he is always quick to volunteer his time and talents whenever he perceives he can be helpful.  He is quiet and operates “under the radar”, but volunteering since 1998 when he retired as an educator comes natural to him.  It is his passion and truly his reason for being.  We need many more like him”
Please join us in congratulating Bruce Kaiser on this well-deserved award.  This award will be formally presented with other Tigard volunteer and business awards at Tigard’s 2015 Shining Stars Community Awards Celebration, sponsored by Platinum Title Sponsor Washington Federal and held on Friday, April 24th from 5:30-9 p.m. at Embassy Suites – Washington Square, event location host. With a theme of “Tigard’s Oscars”, this Oscar’s themed dinner event includes dinner, silent auction, dessert dash, awards, and more. Tickets are only $35/person.  So dress your best and come join us to celebrate Tigard!
For further details about Shining Stars, please contact the Tigard Area Chamber of Commerce at 503-639-1683 or at debi@tigardchamber.org  or go to our webpage at www.tigardchamber.org