Three members of the Orcas community, Kathi and Joe Ciskowski and Wally Gudgell, were honored by OPAL Community Land Trust at its recent annual meeting. The Ciskowskis received the Sky Award recognizing volunteer service that builds and sustains community; Wally Gudgell received the Fisher Award for dedication to the cause of fair housing.

“Kathi and Joe Ciskowski have volunteered thousands of hours in support of our island’s children and numerous Orcas organizations,” said Penny Sharp Sky, OPAL co-founder and trustee, who made the presentation of the Sky Award. She recounted the broad range of activities that the Ciskowkis have been involved with over their 25 years of volunteering on Orcas.

The award, which has been presented since 1998, acknowledges those who, following the example of Michael Sky and Penny Sharp Sky, have contributed significant volunteer service in support of building and sustaining community on Orcas Island.

Gudgell received this year’s Peter Fisher Award, an honor presented for the past 19 years to individuals who have provided inspiration, dedication and unceasing service in the cause of fair housing. In presenting the award, Allen Smith, OPAL trustee and past president of the board, noted that Gudgell constructed the Lavender Hollow apartments over 20 years ago and has served countless hours on boards and commissions to foster the creation of housing opportunities for people with lower incomes.

During the brief business meeting, OPAL housing manager Julie Brunner presented a climbing rose plant to the Wild Rose Meadow neighborhood in celebration of the project’s completion in 2010, Janet Brownell was elected to a three-year term on OPAL’s board of trustees, and minor changes to the OPAL bylaws were unanimously approved by the members who were present.