By Valerie White
She was teaching dance at the Recreation Center when she noticed that they didn’t have the same programs that she remembered as a kid, and since then has been instrumental in growing the Center to what it is today. Hallie recently lost her home in the wildfires, and her parents also lost the home she had grown up in. The night of the evacuation, she loaded up two cars with her family, 6 goats, 2 pigs, 2 dogs, a cat, rabbits, and guinea pigs. The next morning she went back and gathered up her 30 chickens. Later on, she realized she could have grabbed other things, but saving her animals was foremost on her mind. After the fires, the volunteers of Samaritan’s Purse helped her sift through the ashes. Hallie didn’t care about possessions; she told them the only thing she wished for was to find her Great-Grandmother’s ring. She told them it was in a little ring box, but was sure the box had probably burned as she believed it was just cardboard covered in material. They tried to decipher where in the rubble it might be. After sifting and sifting, someone came up to Hallie and asked her if she believed in miracles. She held in her hand a metal box. Inside the metal box was her Great-Grandmother’s ring in pristine condition! Hallie shows no signs of being a victim or feeling sorry for herself, in fact, quite the opposite. She is a beautiful, inspiring woman. Right after she learned that her home was gone, Hallie set about creating a program to help bring relief to all those who had suffered because of the fires. She searched for organizations to help her, and many of the stores in town, such as Scarborough’s, Johnnie’s, Wildroots, and Blue Sun Cafe donated. The Blue Sun Cafe had been feeding the firefighters as they battled the blaze. It was hard to get Hallie to talk about herself. She is such a loving, giving person that the fate of the Recreation Center was her primary concern; even as she goes through jumping through all the hoops of dealing with insurance, County regulations, getting electricity to her property, and all the other red tape of building her home back. The Recreation Center had hit it’s highest income month in February right before the COVID lockdown hit. Since that time, they have lost 52% of their budget. Never one to give in to circumstances, Hallie researched getting grants to keep it going. Hallie’s dream had always been to have a special hub for the community. In 1992 the Johnson sisters donated their property and when it was sold the money went to the Recreation Center. When the former golf course property became available, Hallie knew it was the perfect spot. They were able to offer many more programs for the community to enjoy, such as swimming, tennis, and camps, along with their daycare programs and classes. The COVID restrictions grinded everything to a halt. But it didn’t stop the indefatigable Hallie. She got involved in bringing in Zoom recreational activities. The center is still offering outdoor activities using the COVID guidelines. There are after school programs for 5-12 year olds, and preschool programs as well as Tennis and Pickle ball. Hallie doesn’t look at being the director of the Boulder Creek Recreational Center as a job. She loves what she is doing and is always expanding on it. She is also on the Long Term Recovery team with the County and as part of the group United Policy Holders, she shares information at the Rec Center on how people can work with their insurance companies. There are other things planned, such as being able to give out plants for gardens. Right now the Center could really use some help. Among other things, they are needing a new roof, and any donations would be deeply appreciated. Hallie has put her heart and soul into the Boulder Creek Recreation Center. Let’s show her she is not alone and come together to make her dream of the Center becoming a hub for the community come true.