The Crystal Falls Lions Club has named Charlene and Allan Anderson the 2018 Citizens of the Year. They will be honored at a dinner Saturday, May 5, at the Paint River Landing in Crystal Falls.

CRYSTAL FALLS — Allan and Charlene Anderson have been named the 2018 Citizens of the Year by the Crystal Falls Lions Club.

“As always, it was a very difficult job for our citizen of the year committee to make this decision, as our little community has so very many quite worthy residents,” Lions Club publicity chairman Gene Schiavo said. “The Andersons are very deserving of this honor.”

They have three married sons and are a close family. Schiavo noted the Andersons were nominated by their sons and their wives, Robb and Bobbie, Kurt and Lindsey, and Brad and Elisa.

“We have been first-hand witnesses to their outstanding service and commitment to our community,” the family said in the nomination statement to the committee.

Their parents embody what it means to be an integral member of a small, tight-knit community like Crystal Falls, they stated.

“They have been and will continue to be upstanding citizens, always setting a positive example for those around them,” the family added.

Allan has volunteered countless hours at the United Lutheran Church of Crystal Falls. He is on the United Lutheran Council and chairman of the building committee, while also serving as the head usher recruiter. Some of his most recent volunteer endeavors for the church were helping to restore the historic bell in front of the church, church roof replacement, lawn care, snow removal and many other improvements.

Allan also started the father-son basketball program on Wednesday evenings when his boys were young, which continued for many years beyond his children. He also has been Iron County Little League treasurer for 30 years and played a role in numerous fundraisers, year-to-year operations and in establishing the Senior League Baseball Field, plus ongoing improvements and maintenance to that site.

For nearly two decades, Allan was a member of the “chain gang” for the Forest Park football program. Today, he remains active in the T-ball program, spending his spare time umpiring for his grandchildren’s games. Additionally, he helps keep the scorebook at junior high boys basketball games.

Charlene is an active member in Guardian Angels Catholic Church and has spent countless hours volunteering and attending Mass and other church events. She is a eucharist minister at Mass and always willing to help when called on by her church family.

A Forest Park Schools teacher for nearly three decades, she influenced the lives of many students in and out of the classroom. She was an active member of both the Academic and Sports Boosters as well as the PTO.

Now retired, she continues to support the school as a volunteer, including in her grandchildren’s classrooms, on field trips, at the book fair, collecting tickets for basketball and football games and assisting with numerous fundraisers. She is known as the “go-to” volunteer at Forest Park, always willing to lend a helping hand.

“The couple’s individual efforts for the community speak for themselves; however, as a team, their impact on the community and their family is even further reaching,” Schiavo said.

Both are on the board for the Dickinson Area Community Foundation and the DACF Scholarship Committee for Forest Park graduates. They regularly attend the majority of area youth sporting events. For many years, both also volunteered at the annual Run Your Bass Off race, registering and timing racers.

Additionally, they take any opportunity they can to support any local fundraisers.

“Their effort for their community is evident by all who know them,” their family stated. “They are also extremely family-oriented. They spend countless hours helping our families and are always demonstrating what it is to be an outstanding citizen, parent and grandparent.”

They do for the community without any wish for recognition, the family added, but because they simply enjoy giving back to others.

The Andersons will be honored at a dinner Saturday, May 5, at the Paint River Landing in Crystal Falls. Meet and greet, along with cocktails, will start at 5 p.m., with dinner served about 6:30 p.m. Longtime Lion Hubert “Bud” West again will be master of ceremonies.

The dinner is $20 per person and can be paid at the door. To make reservations, call Nettle Insurance Co. at 906-875-3312 or Halla’s Beauty Shop at 906-284-3270.

All arrangements are coordinated by Citizen of the Year chairman Gene Fredericksen.