FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Gepner, Evergreen Healthcare
425.899.1882 or pager 206.993.5587
angepner@evergreenhealthcare.org
KIRKLAND, Wash. – The DeYoung family and Stephen B. Knoff, D.D.S. have been awarded Evergreen Healthcare’s 2004 Community Service Award.
Through four generations, (since John and Ellen DeYoung arrived in Woodinville in 1925) the DeYoung Family has been an integral part of the Woodinville and Northshore communities. John and Ellen DeYoung instilled the obligations and rewards of community service in their six children. Ellen modeled those values as a founder of the local Children’s Orthopædic Hospital Guild, a tireless volunteer at the Woodinville Methodist Church and Sammamish Valley Grange, and a lifetime member of the PTA.
Al and Lowell DeYoung and their families have continued the tradition of public service and community leadership. Lowell helped found Fire District #42 and served on its board. He also helped found the Woodinville Water District and quietly, without fanfare, has provided significant financial support to create or improve community services. Al has served on countless community Boards and committees, including Bothell High School Music Boosters, Northshore School Board, King County Northshore Comprehensive Plan Committee and Woodinville Chamber of Commerce.
Al and Lowell DeYoung and their families have contributed significantly to the health of the Eastside community through their constant support of Evergreen Healthcare. Al has served as a Commissioner on the Board of Evergreen Healthcare for 26 of the 33 years it has been in existence, providing vision and guidance as Evergreen has necessarily expanded to meet the needs of a growing community. Lowell and Al have both served on the Evergreen Healthcare Foundation Board, recognizing the significant role of the Foundation in Evergreen’s fulfillment of its mission.
The spirit of community service lives on in the children of Al and Donna DeYoung and Lowell and Stella DeYoung. Dennis DeYoung has been actively involved with the Woodinville Chamber Board and served on the Planning Commission for the City of Kirkland; John DeYoung served for eight years as a fire commissioner. Linda Cooper has been active in the Northshore Music Boosters, Girl Scouts and 4H. Lucy DeYoung has served on the Evergreen Healthcare Foundation Board, the Woodinville Heritage Society Board, the Woodinville Incorporation Committee, the Woodinville City Council, as the first mayor of the new City of Woodinville, and on the Board of the Washington State Public Stadium Authority.
Stephen B. Knoff, DDS has been an active and engaged participant in the Evergreen family, having served on the Medical Staff since 1992, as Chief of the Dentistry section, and as a consultant to the Credentials Committee since 1998. He has been available to the Emergency Department to be on-call whenever there has been a need for his tremendous skills.
Dr. Knoff has chosen to integrate service to others into his work life, providing free dental care to many who would not otherwise receive it. In partnership with community service groups (including Northwest Medical Teams International, Community Health Centers of King County, and Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing), he has contributed in excess of $100,000 per year in oral surgical services for people who need but are unable to afford such medical care.
Dr. Knoff led Evergreen’s effort to increase access to dental care for District residents by participating in the dental van program and, as founding member and initial chair of the Eastside Dental Coalition, convened a partnership of several public and not-for-profit organizations for the purpose of increasing access to quality care for those unable to afford it and assuring that such care is well coordinated.
Recognizing that the need for dental care is international, Dr. Knoff has participated in many global dental missions, providing care to people in remote third world communities extending from Nicaragua and El Salvador to the Republic of Kiribati and the Philippines.
The Community Service Award, established in 1996, is bestowed by Evergreen Healthcare’s Board of Commissioners to recognize individuals and organizations that have had a profound impact on enhancing the health and well-being of the community, recognizable service and commitment to Evergreen Healthcare and exemplifying leadership in realizing Evergreen Healthcare’s mission and values to the community.
Evergreen Hospital Medical Center has 244 beds and is the cornerstone of Evergreen Healthcare that includes medical groups, home care, hospice and many other services and community health outreach programs. Since opening our doors in 1972, Evergreen’s patient and family-centered philosophy, combined with our commitment to advancing medical solutions, has enabled us to provide people with unsurpassed, whole care. Evergreen serves more than 400,000 residents throughout north King and south Snohomish counties. More than 700 physicians, representing over 50 specialties, provide clinical excellence in all major services including cardiac, oncology, surgery and maternity care at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center. For more information, visit www.evergreenhealthcare.org.
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[Editors Note: Photos are available upon request]