By Kristine Thomas
It wasn’t until she saw it written down on paper that Lori Butsch Pavlicek became fully aware of all her volunteer work.
And that realization occurred only after she received some unexpected but surprisingly good news.
As Pavlicek was driving to the Portland Airport with her 16-year-old daughter, Olivia, to go to a volleyball tournament in Arizona, she received the phone call that she had been chosen as the 2016 Mount Angel First Citizen.
“I didn’t realize everything I have done until I read the nomination form,” she said, laughing.
Her sister-in-law, Linda Butsch, nominated her for the honor.
“She is an advocate for her community,” Butsch said. “She’s always doing things for her community and her family.”
Describing her sister-in-law as a tireless volunteer, Butsch said what makes Pavlicek a good person to have on a committee is that she is approachable, nice and listens to others’ input and ideas.
“She rarely says ‘I can’t do it,’” Butsch said. “She’s always willing to volunteer and help. I don’t know if she has ever said ‘no.’ She does things because it needs to get done.”
Lori and Derek Pavlicek are the parents of Olivia, a junior at Silverton High School, and Genavieve, an eighth-grader at Silverton Middle School.
Her daughters keep her busy with school and club volleyball games, high school activities and church functions.
Pavlicek is a part-owner of 4B Farms in Mount Angel along with her parents, Jim and Donna Butsch, and her brother, Jeff. They grow wheat, grass seed, hops, garlic, hazelnuts and a variety of vegetables.
Through 4B Farms, they support the Mount Angel Fire Department, sponsor various sports teams, Silverton High School FFA, St. Joseph’s Shelter and agriculture in the classroom.
Her volunteer activities include serving on the Mount Angel Oktoberfest Board for 18 years and Farm Service Agency for nine years.
She is currently the president of the Mount Angel Community Foundation and the secretary of the Providence Benedictine Nursing Center Board. She’s an active member of St. Mary Catholic Church and a board member and 2016 president of Ag-Link, an organization that helps promote Oregon agriculture and bridge the gap between urban and rural Oregonians.
She serves on the SHS Dodgeball committee and the Silverton Middle School eighth-grade promotion committee.
“My first commitment is to my family and everything else comes second,” Pavlicek said.
Every night before she goes to bed and every morning when she awakes, Pavlicek said she looks at her calendar to see what’s on the day’s agenda.
After graduating from Silverton High School in 1982, she attended George Fox College.
After a few years managing a yogurt store, she decided to return to the family farm where she works as the office manager.
When asked why she volunteers, she said, “Somebody has to do the work.”
Pete Wall serves on the Mount Angel Community Foundation with Pavlicek.
“Lori is generous with her time and whenever there is something to do, she’s there helping out,” Wall said. “She leads by action and she seeks out people’s ideas and opinions and makes sure everyone is involved in the decisions.”
“I think the world of Lori,” Wall added.
Pavlicek enjoys being part of a committee that accomplishes things. By volunteering, she said she is reward by seeing what takes place from the annual Oktoberfest to the Mount Angel Festhalle being built.
“Mount Angel will always be my home and it has a soft spot in my heart,” she said.
“The people you met in your hometown are with you your entire life and we grow pretty good people around here.”
