West Sacramento, Calif. — Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) will recognize Montana resident, Mary Seccombe, for her outstanding volunteerism by presenting her with the organization’s 2005 Yoneo Ono Award at a 12 p.m. ceremony on July 29 at the Sheepshead Mountain Recreation Area in Butte, Montana.
The Yoneo Ono Award is named in honor of one of RCAC’s founding fathers. During his lifetime, Yoneo Ono continually worked to better the lives of people living in America’s rural regions. In recognition of his tireless dedication to this vital cause, RCAC officials presented Ono with an award upon his 1984 retirement from the organization’s board of directors.
Since then, RCAC has presented the Yoneo Ono Award to 22 outstanding rural volunteers in 12 Western states. Seccombe, the award’s 23
rd
honoree, is being recognized for her many decades of dedication to rural issues and rural residents.
“RCAC is extremely pleased to present this year’s Yoneo Ono Award to such a committed and enthusiastic volunteer as Mary Seccombe,” said William French, RCAC chief executive officer.
“I look forward to celebrating her many accomplishments in the community she has unselfishly served for so many years.”
A longtime advocate for affordable housing and conservation in Montana, Seccombe served on the board of directors for Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D), is an urban supervisor for Mile High Conservation District and represents the district on the Headwaters’ board. She was instrumental in forming the Montana RC&D Association, the Western RC&D Association and the National Association of RC&D Councils, and has served as president for all three organizations. Seccombe currently serves as a board member of the Montana Home Ownership Network and was appointed by Montana’s Governor to serve on the Natural Resource Damage Advisory Board.
For more information concerning the July 29 Yoneo Ono Award ceremony, contact Kristin Middaugh at 916/447-9832 ext. 222 or at
kmiddaugh@rcac.org
.
Headquartered in West Sacramento, California, and serving 13 western states, RCAC is a nonprofit agency providing technical assistance and training to rural communities seeking to develop a wide range of local services including, community facilities, affordable housing and water treatment facilities. The organization operates a loan fund with $50 million in lending capital that provides low-interest loans and grants to further rural communities’ goals. RCAC has a field office in Bozeman, Montana.