Gordon & Carol Bjorg
2009 Festival of Trees Co-chairs
Gifts of the Season Carol and Gordy Bjorg’s roots have grown deep and wide in Everett and Snohomish County. Gordy has been working with Roy Robinson Chevrolet, one of the county’s most successful businesses, for 30 years. He started out in management, eventually became a partial owner, and then purchased the remainder of the business in 2001. They raised two children, now parents themselves, and enjoyed a rewarding life in this community. Now, as they ease into retirement, Carol and Gordy don’t seem eager to slow their pace. The Bjorgs have accepted an invitation to serve as official co-chairs for the 2009 Festival of Trees, benefiting Providence Children’s Center. Giving back
Though the co-chair role puts a bright spotlight on their charity work, volunteerism is nothing new to the Bjorgs. “My husband has always been a very hard worker,” Carol says. “Earlier in our lives, Gordy had little time to volunteer himself. While he was focused on business, I considered myself a professional volunteer, domestic engineer and ‘go-fer’ for both our business and the community efforts I was involved in.” The hours Carol contributed must be in the thousands: From her work on the board for Everett General Hospital, to time spent spearheading various activities and fundraisers at her kids’ schools, to her time as a Providence Guild member and committee member for The Epicurean Affair. Carol has met and befriended hundreds of people and worked tirelessly to improve life in this community for her family and her neighbors. Gordy, too, has worked hard to make an impact on others’ lives. As president of the car dealership, he donated substantial staff time and money to dozens of local events and charities, some every single year for decades. As he transitions out of his leadership role in the business, he has begun to devote more personal time in community service. His local commitments include service as past president in the Marysville Rotary, where he remains actively involved. Gordy says the invitation to serve as chair for the Festival was easy to accept, because he and Carol believe in the work of Providence and the Children’s Center in particular. “The money raised through Festival events does a terrific job helping little kids, who all too often get left behind,” he says. “It’s very gratifying to team up with so many other friends and community members focused on this goal.” Carol says the 2009 festival theme, chosen recently by the event committee, is very appropriate in the midst of a struggling economy. “The theme is Gifts of the Season. Because it will be Christmas, of course, but we want to reinforce the importance of other kinds of giving, not just to your family but to people in the community who need help,” she says. “It’s about being grateful for all the gifts in your own life—your family, community, friends. It’s about giving back, for all you have that is good.”
| 
