When it comes to volunteering, Susan Wetzsteon of Hamilton has one philosophy; why not me? She said she uses this as a guide and has used it for a long time.
“Why not me? I have the time, the skills, and the desire to help,” she said recently.
Wetzsteon was recently recognized by the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce as the Volunteer of the Year. She says her volunteerism has actually had a bit of a pattern once she started.
Wetzsteon is the daughter of Betty and Duane Smith. Both of her parents were raised here in Hamilton and graduated from Hamilton High School. After graduation, Duane and Betty married and Duane joined the Navy. They spent the next 20 some years moving from San Diego to Alaska to New Orleans and back to Alaska. Along the way, Linda, Carol, and then Susan arrived. When Linda was entering high school, the family moved back to Hamilton. Wetzsteon said her mother was busy looking after three girls, working, and trying to keep the household together while Duane finished up his final tour of duty.
Wetzsteon said she did the normal things in high school and really didn’t think she did much volunteering. Her mom had been involved with the Navy Wives while they were stationed in the various places but mainly Betty was involved with her girls, Duane, and her parents, Mark and Gertrude Sorenson. After returning to civilian life, Duane did some volunteering with the VFW and with Springer Memorial Veteran’s Park up the East Fork.
After graduation, Susan went on to study to become an operating room technician. She and her new husband, Lonnie, moved to Seattle and she worked in a hospital there for a time. But Montana called and they wanted to raise their boys back in the great outdoors, so they moved back.
Wetzsteon said this was when she began to volunteer more. “It was a way to feel more connected.”
She did the usual den mother duties, was treasurer of the women’s bowling league, and helped in church. It was through church that she had one of her most rewarding volunteer experiences. She, and a number of other Hamilton residents volunteered to go to Nicaragua on a medical mission through the Corner of Love ministry. Wetzsteon said the people there were so kind and gracious, and it was a real eye opener when she saw the disparity between people both socially and economically.
After her boys, Corey and Andrew, graduated from high school, Wetzsteon went to work at The Fabric Shop in Hamilton. Although she had sewn since childhood, making Barbie Doll clothes and eventually her own clothes, she wasn’t a quilter. But she soon became one.
“I taught a class because I figured I could sew a seam,” she jokingly said. But the bug had bitten and she became a very accomplished quilter. She, Sue Ann Iman, Jamie Grant, and Sue Engel formed a company called “In Good Company.” They dyed fabric, cut squares and eventually began putting together packaged projects that were more art than quilts. For 10 years, they held ‘An Affair of the Heart’ to showcase their students’ and customers’ works. Although the company disbanded several years ago and the last Affair of the Heart was two years ago, she’s still involved with ‘TARTs’, a spinoff of quilting art projects, and Montana Bricolage.
About 15 years ago, Wetzsteon began working at Mikesell’s Fine Jewelry in Hamilton. It was soon after this that she started volunteering in earnest. She became involved with the Hamilton Downtown Association and held several different offices in that organization. While in the HDA, she was a proxy advisor to the DHBID (Downtown Hamilton Business Improvement District). From there, it was an easy step to move on to the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce where she has helped with many different events including the Brewfest. Last year, she was the president of the organization.
“I really enjoyed working with everyone at the Chamber this last year,” she said. “I volunteer now because I want our area to thrive. I have five grandkids that will grow up here.”