Volunteers Charlie Grant, Dan Maloughney and Ryan Maloughney get their plates stacked full as they progress through the taco bar.
Eight-year-old Levi Boyd sitting next to his dad Jimmy who is a volunteer with the Swan Valley Fire Department. Levi said he thought it was "pretty cool" that his dad was a firefighter and they got to have a special dinner.
CONDON – Volunteerism is a way of life in rural communities. Perhaps no volunteers deserve more credit than the emergency personnel – the firefighters and members of the Quick Response Unit (QRU). To express their thank to these individuals and also to the local law enforcement personnel, the Condon Community Church (CCC) hosted a special appreciation meal Feb. 10.
CCC Pastor Bruce Rippy said their church likes to be involved in Condon community events and are always looking for ways to reach out to the community. He credits Patricia Busby with coming up with the suggestion to do something special for the emergency personnel.
Busby said, "These folks are the ones who make this community livable. We need to honor and thank them."
Jolayne Hawver, who took on the organization of the dinner event, added, "If it wasn't for them a lot of us wouldn't even be able to live in this valley."
Hawver gathered together the Church Kitchen Committee. Wanting something fun and festive and a little bit different, they decided on a taco bar fiesta. First they lined the Swan Valley Community Hall with blue, green, pink and yellow tablecloths and colorful crepe paper centerpieces and decorations. Then they served both corn and flour tortillas, chicken and beef innards and lots of add-ins. Plus cookies and brownies for dessert.
One woman looking at the spread commented, "You ladies really knocked yourselves out, I swear."
Pastor Rippy offered a prayer of thanks for all the emergency volunteers and asked God to keep them safe. The evening also featured gospel music sung by Rebecca Alaniz accompanied on guitar by her husband Isaac Alaniz.
Community members and honorees chatted with one another as they ate. Ellie Greenough, now retired but a former volunteer of 38 years, remembered the first meeting of the QRU took place the same day Mt. St. Helen's erupted in 1980. She recalled ash from the volcano fell over the entire state of Montana, some 10 inches in the Condon area. Greenough said a number of people suffered respiratory problems as a result.
Ryan Maloughney, a member of the Swan Valley Volunteer Fire Department since 2014 as well as a member of the QRU Team and an Assistant Training Officer, commented that he has spoken with people in other volunteer fire departments who said their communities don't come together to offer them any particular thanks.
Maloughney added, "When you get a call late at night and you're asking yourself why am I doing this, that's when you look back on incidents of appreciation such as this dinner and the people who came up to you to say thank you."
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