The Blue Mountain Good Sams Club from Pilot Rock, Milton-Freewater and Pendleton have garnered the Chapter of the Year award for Oregon.

The club will receive a plaque at their March Samboree (camp out, meeting and activities) and patches for their vests acknowledging their volunt- eerism.

The Good Sams get together for camping, games, bonfires, fun activities and food.

More important, and the reason they were named chapter of the year for Oregon, is the group’s community service. A scrapbook with photos and explanations of their projects is now in competition for a national award.

The Blue Mountain Good Sams have adopted and cleaned up two two-mile stretches of highway for five years. For four years, the members have mowed lawns, raked, picked up trash, pulled weeds and planted seedlings at Boardman Marina Park. Last spring, they helped paint the restrooms and the shower house at the park.

The chapter collects pop cans, holds raffles and silent auctions, and serves coffee and cookies for donations at rest areas to raise money.

One fourth of the Good Sams’ Club yearly earnings go to support the Dogs for the Deaf program. Another quarter of their earnings go to the Salvation Army, and a third quarter helps support hospice.

The chapter has supported the Salvation Army for three years by donating, sorting and boxing donated canned goods, clothes and toys. They assist in dispersing gift boxes to needy individuals and families in the Pendleton community. Cooking and serving lunch the first Tuesday of each month at the Salvation Army is a new project this year. They furnish most of the food and do the clean up.

Members make blankets and Afghans and donate them to the Pendleton Fire Department and the Oregon State Police to give to children in traumatic situations. Members also made lap robes, caps and baby sets to give to low-income families and seniors in Umatilla County. They provided 17,000 miles of transportation last year through the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP).

Chapter members volunteer in the Pioneer Humane Society Thrift Shop, take in foster dogs and provide dog and cat food for the pets of those with low income.

Members provide volunteer service sorting and re-shelving books and answering telephones at the Hermiston Library and Hermiston Police Annex. Members provide hostess services and guided tours at the Umatilla County Historical Society Heritage Station.

Members have put together and installed playground equipment at three different Umatilla-Morrow County Head Start locations, including ground preparation, burying posts in concrete, bolting equipment together and spreading gravel.

The Blue Mountain chapter helps to put on Country Cuzzins and the State Samboree by decorating and setting up tables. They also help with registration, Bingo, Sunday morning doughnuts, putting on a skit and setting up backdrops. They work in the hospitality room, help with security and sing with the chorales.

Additionally, individual members volunteer for the mentor program and Start Making A Reader Today (SMART). They save pull tabs on pop cans, and participate in other projects that were not included in their book.

Anyone interested in joining a Good Sams RV club contact Alma Day, 443-8001, or Shirley Pulley, 276-4893 for an application. New members are always welcome. Annual dues total approximately $25 for both the local and national organizations.

Sandy Holtz can be reached at 1-800-522-0255 (ext. 1-225) or by e-mail at sholtz@eastoregonian.com.