Volunteer Appreciation Picnic 2026

We want to extend a huge Thank You to all of our amazing volunteers who support us throughout the year! To all volunteers whether you were able to join us and for those who were not able to make it, we appreciate YOU. Your dedication and hard work is noticed, and we are grateful for your many contributions to the community building work of the DRC.

To show our appreciation, we hosted our annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic on July 15th at Tumwater Historical Park. 

​Congratulations to Diane Perry and Jenny Grenfell, who we honored as the DRC's Outstanding Volunteers for 2026.

Thank You to Diane and Jenny - and to all of the DRC's 100+ volunteers - for all you do to help build a more peaceful and civil community. The volunteers are the heart and soul of the DRC.

Read more about our Outstanding Volunteers
​Read below to learn more about the Outstanding Volunteers who were honored at the picnic last month. These volunteers exemplify the work being done in our DRC community. We could not do this work without you.​

Diane Perry

Diane is a part of the foundation of the DRC. Over many years she has served as a mediator, now a multi-party mediator, a mentor, a trainer, and a Board Finance Committee member. We recently benefited from Diane's accounting expertise when she volunteered to serve on the hiring panel for our new Finance Manager. As a mediator, Diane can get to the heart of a conflict while balancing clarity with empathy.

​Many of our newer mediators, myself included, have learned how to mediate by watching Diane. I have my own vivid memory of her. Diane was one of the mediators in the very first mediation I ever observed, along with Steve Tilley. I watched quietly and I was so impressed with her fractionalizing skills, I thought: “WOW, can I really do this?!” Diane represents wisdom, consistency, and quiet leadership which has strengthened this community for years.  ​

Jenny Grenfell

Jenny reminds us what fresh enthusiasm can bring to a community. I remember her first picnic just three summers ago. She makes a long trip from Silverdale because she believes in this work and because she values our DRC community specifically. Whether she's attending Coffee Talk, mediating, or participating in trainings to teach others, Jenny shows up consistently with curiosity, reliability, and generosity.

​Already, she has become an outstanding trainer and a valued member of our volunteer community. Jenny represents an incoming generation of volunteers who continue to strengthen DRC simply by showing up wholeheartedly with an eagerness to do this work and share the skills with everyone. ​