Deane receives Community Member of the Year award

Islander helped found the Mercer Island Community Fund and more.

By Andy Nystrom • December 14, 2023 11:30 am

When speaking about Lola Deane, Mercer Island City Councilmember Ted Weinberg said that locals are in the presence of greatness.

Fellow councilmember Wendy Weiker noted that Deane carries an honorable legacy.

When Deane initially resided on the Island from 1957-85, she helped launch Mercer Island Youth and Family Services (YFS), was the original owner of Island Books, helped found the Mercer Island Community Fund, and was active alongside her husband in the development of Dragon Park, which was later renamed Deane’s Children’s Park.

Nowadays, you can find Deane surrounded by books at the Mercer Island Thrift Shop, where she volunteers three days a week. She returned to live on the Island four years ago at Covenant Living at the Shores.

Deane was named the 2022 Community Member of the Year at council’s Dec. 5 regular meeting for her significant contributions to the Island territory.

“It was easier being an active citizen in the late 1950s, early 1960s when we, a lot of us here, had the opportunity to participate in the founding of this city. It’s all your work now,” she said while glancing at Mayor Salim Nice, who presented the award and read a proclamation in her name. “Thank you all and keep up the good work.”

In a Reporter 2021 article, Deane said that when Mercer Island was developing as a city during her 28-year stay, “One of the first things that was very recognized during the ’60s was that we needed help social service-wise with youth and families and so that’s when we started Mercer Island Youth (and Family) Services in 1970.”

City council has been honoring stellar Island residents for the last 33 years, and it selected Deane to receive the accolade at its mid-year planning session in May.

At the Dec. 5 meeting, councilmember Craig Reynolds and Deputy Mayor Dave Rosenbaum said they were surprised that Deane hadn’t received the honor before. Reynolds stated that he was impressed with her copious accomplishments and added that a whole new generation of kids will give thanks to her with the recent grand opening of the Bike Skills Area at Deane’s Children’s Park.

“Lola Deane, thank you so much for your leadership back then. I raised my kids in this community and we love that Dragon Park, and Youth and Family Services meant the world to me and my family,” Weiker said. “We are certainly standing on the shoulders of giants for you and your peers for doing everything you did to build this community.”

Last year, 19-year-old Avi Schiffmann received the Community Member of the Year award for building the nCoV2019.live website, which became one of the most popular information hubs tracking COVID-19 cases around the world, and collaborating with Harvard classmate Marco Burstein to launch the Ukraine Take Shelter website, which connects Ukrainian refugees with potential hosts in neighboring countries.