Event: Stimpson Award for Civic Engagement

City Club brings people together to explore community issues and hear diverse viewpoints by creating spaces where conversations happen. This was the vision of one of City Club’s founders, Dottie Stimpson, who believed all things were possible when people started talking and listening.

To honor this legacy, City Club hosts an annual forum to celebrate the Stimpson Award for Civic Engagement. This year’s recipient is Betsy Russell, who retired this year as the undisputed dean of the Idaho Statehouse press corps. In her 36-year career at three of the state’s largest newspapers, her diligent reporting kept Idahoans across the state, as well as those inside the Idaho Capitol itself, up-to-date on every move of the state’s political leaders. Her newspaper stories, Eye on Boise blog, and commentary on Idaho Public Television’s Idaho Reports were required reading and viewing for anyone with an interest in the state’s halls of power.

But Russell earned this honor not just for her impartial and comprehensive journalism. She was a longtime leader of the Idaho Press Club and the Capitol Correspondents Association, devoting herself to ensuring access to public meetings, documents and data - never hesitating to put her own personal influence and reputation at stake. She helped found Idahoans for Openness Government, which brought together journalists, elected officials, lobbyists, advocates, and academics to foster open government in public meetings, official records, courtroom proceedings, and more.

City Club will bring the community together to honor Betsy as this year’s recipient of the Stimpson Award for Civic Engagement at a special event on Thursday, November 30, 4:30 - 6:30 PM at JUMP. Inspired appetizers and no-host bar, all ages welcome.

Tickets: $45 City Club members, $50 non-members.

Thank you to this program's sponsors: Idaho Public Television, Boise Weekly, Idaho Press, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.