This year, we gathered to honor the life and legacy of Walt Mintkeski while celebrating another successful year of connecting our community to the wonders and value of the Johnson Creek watershed. Thank you to everyone who joined us for an evening filled with remembrance, connection, and purpose.
We are especially grateful to our wonderful emcee, Barbara Bernstein, who guided us through a heartfelt evening of celebration, highlighting our accomplishments from the past year and recognizing our 2026 Ripple Award recipients. We were also honored to hear reflections from former Executive Directors Matt Clark and Daniel Newberry, who shared stories of Walt’s lasting influence on the Council and our community. Later in the evening, Matt was joined by Noah Jenkins, our Conservation Director, for a moving performance of an original song written in Walt’s honor.
As part of the celebration, we invited our community to share memories, stories, and words of gratitude for Walt through our tribute Kudoboard. The heartfelt messages shared there reflect the depth of his impact and the countless lives he touched through his kindness, leadership, and dedication to watershed stewardship.
A special thank you goes to our Fundraising Committee, whose members dedicated countless hours to making the evening a success. From gathering beautiful nature-inspired artwork created by local artists, to collecting exceptional bottles for our Mystery Wine Pull, to helping launch our very first Paddle Raise, their efforts made the event truly memorable.
We were amazed and deeply grateful for the generosity of our community. Together, you raised an incredible $13,605 through our first-ever Paddle Raise, bringing the evening’s total fundraising efforts to $32,490!
Every contribution directly supports the restoration, education, and community engagement programs that make our work possible and helps ensure a healthier, more resilient watershed for years to come.
If you were unable to join us for the Annual Celebration but would still like to support our mission, donations can still be made by clicking the button below
[https://donorbox.org/jcwc-31st-celebration-fundraising]
Together, we honored the current that carried us here and celebrated the truth that each of us, in our own way, is part of the current carrying this work forward.