Rhonda French is described as the “Guardian Angel of Washington County” by her nominator. Rhonda is credited with contributing to many community projects ranging from a Trick or Treat for canned goods drive, neighborhood yard work and shoveling for elderly and disabled inviduals, to a quilts project for the Machias Veterans Home.
September to December each year, she spends more than 1000 hours on the “Let’s All Have a Merrier Christmas” program, distributing clothing and toys to more than 500 disadvantaged children in Washington County. The program was established in 1984 and has been successfully running for 32 years.
A teacher at Washington County Community College, Rhonda leads by example, not only with her own projects, but also by helping her students with their community service projects. Together they have raised money and sent goodie bags to service men and women in Afghanistan and collected and shipped shoes to children in Tanzania for the Soles for Life program, and designed and hosted an anti-bullying workshop for area 5th graders. Rhonda was recently nominated into Phi Theta Kappa the two-year college national honor society as an honorary member dedicated to community service.
Nickey Dubey, nominator and fellow WCCC instructor, said Rhonda is “an extraordinary role model that students look up to and are inspired by.” We think so, too.