Kiwanis recognizes two South Lake Tahoe women for their work in the community

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Two local women were recently honored with awards during a visit by the Governor for the California-Nevada-Hawaii District of Kiwanis International, Valarie Brown-Klingelhoefe. The awards were given at the Governor’s mansion in Carson City.

President Rich Dart of the Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra presented a Community Service Award to Joanne Shope and a Distinguished Service Award to Cheryl Millham.

Joanne recently retired from Christmas Cheer, the local non-profit food pantry where she volunteered for 28 years, the last nine years as the unpaid executive director.  Christmas Cheer provides monthly food stables and perishable food to residents in need, along with clothing, shoes, toys and household items.  In 2015, Christmas Cheer held a dinner in her honor with the title “Superwoman” bestowed upon her. 

She also serves as a docent every Monday, rain, snow or shine, at St. Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church in Virginia City.  St. Mary’s is the oldest ‘active’ Catholic church in Nevada and has a world-class museum. 

The 90-year-old Shope has run half marathons, was a big hiker, and prior to Christmas Cheer, Joannee was a family nurse practitioner with El Dorado County’s Health Department, worked at Barton Community Clinic, and did night deliveries at Barton Hospital. 

Joanne got fascinated with movie theater equipment and learned enough to become the ‘relief’ projectionist at all four theaters in South Lake Tahoe – the drive-in, the Stateline theater, and the two theaters that used to be at the ‘Y’.  She ran the movies as her nighttime job, and for five years, was even the manager at the Stateline theater. 

Joanne is also a volunteer with the American Legion Post 795 Auxiliary serving as treasurer for several years along with being a member of Soroptimist Internationalof Tahoe Sierra. 

Cheryl Millham was the founder, president, and executive director of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC), titles she held since founding the animal care facility in April 1978.  For decades she was the main person to treat, rehabilitate, and release the thousands of wild birds and mammals cared for in her home. 

She has been an active Kiwanis member for over 22 years and is a Charter Member of the Tahoe Sierra Kiwanis Club, has served on the board and twice served as president, and is the current president-elect. In addition to her ‘Active’ member status with Kiwanis, she has been a very supportive spouse of Tom since he joined Kiwanis in 1976. Cheryl joined in 2001.

She received her pilot’s license in the mid-1960s, almost 60 years ago, and learned how to navigate a single-engine plane cross country.  Cheryl's medical experience with the wildlife came in handy, having received her Licensed Vocational Nurse degree while living in the Los Angeles area, prior to moving to Tahoe in 1976.

While serving as LTWC’s executive director, she hosted, helped plan, and executed two successful national conferences for wildlife rehabbers.

Cheryl has succeeded at everything she has attempted in her life, says husband Tom.