(WSB photo: Michele Rhilinger with regional Discovery Shops coordinator Michael O’Sullivan)

If you haven’t been to the Discovery Shop in the West Seattle Junction, you might not realize that it’s a volunteer-powered day-in-day-out fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. In an after-hours ceremony at the shop last night, the organization presented longtime volunteer Michele Rhilinger with its national Denise Noel Discovery Volunteer Award. From the announcement:

The heart and soul of the local Discovery Shop for more than 10 years, Michele Rhilinger is well-known throughout the West Seattle community as a representative of the American Cancer Society. Through her talents in merchandising, she has created a standard for a very high level of appearance of the shop and an exceptional level of customer service. Despite retirement from her professional career, Michele stayed in the volunteer role and has dedicated countless days for the benefit of the shop and ultimately for cancer patients. Michele’s support of the Discovery Shop and American Cancer Society’s mission is unmatched and respected by many in the community.

Here’s what she told those who were gathered to celebrate:

The Discovery Shop (4535 California SW) had a particularly tough time in the pandemic, Michele reminded us – it had just reopened after a remodeling closure when everything had to shut down.