Outstanding Citizen Award

Robin Transo receives 2008 Citizen of the Year Award

By DAVID KRIER

2009 Citizen of the Year - Robin Transo

The Outstanding Citizen Award is sponsored by the Boscobel Chamber of Commerce and established in memory of Chuck Yahn, a Boscobel Businessman, a church, school, and community booster.

Nominations for this award are submitted by Boscobel area residents each year. This community has many devoted people who give endless hours in community service year after year. It is an honor to receive this nomination. Once a name is received, the nominee will remain eligible for the next three years.

The selection committee has a most difficult task each year, selecting one nominee to receive this award.

A very surprised Robin Transo accepted the Citizen of the Year Award at Saturday night's Boscobel Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet.

"I had no idea," Transo responded when asked if she knew she was in line to receive the award. "But when I got here I was wondering what my sister was doing here. I designed the plaque for this award, but I never thought I'd get it," added the retired art teacher.

Transo was honored at The River Inn for her work with the InHealth Community Wellness Clinic, better known as the Boscobel free clinic. The facility serves the area's many uninsured and under-insured health care patients.

"You know what kind of need we have in this community," she told an audience of about 40 people. "One person can make a big difference, but many people can make a huge difference. We have to re-think this. There's no reason everyone can't have health insurance."

The former Robin Chamberlain is a 1972 Boscobel High School graduate who went on to study at UW-Richland and UW-Madison. She met her husband, Poul-Erik, during a study abroad program in Denmark in 1973. Today they have four children: Jens-Peter, Andreas, Valentyna and Svitlana. Their daughters were adopted from an orphanage in Ukraine.

Longtime Teacher
Robin earned her BS in Art Education from UW-Madison and taught over 3,000 students in her 21-year teaching career, most recently as a K-8 art teacher in the Iowa-Grant School District. Her volunteer work has included service as a Cub Scout leader, Boscobel School Board member, Muskets & Memories committee member, president of the Boscobel Historical Society, Lions Club, Jaycees and as an EMT with the Boscobel Rescue Squad.

Robin and her husband have provided medicine, money and hearing aids for many needy children, including dozens at orphanages in Ukraine, Russia and Romania.

Skilled Fundraiser
At home in Wisconsin, Robin has personally raised nearly $100,000 to help families who have been devastated by fires and personal tragedy. Examples include raising money for an Amish family who lost three family members and had seven others injured in a buggy accident between Boscobel and Fennimore. She also helped raise money for a man who lost his wife and three children in a Wisconsin River drowning accident near Woodman, as well as for a family of four who lost everything in a mid-winter house fire.

Her passion recently has been the free clinic and the area’s health care crisis for the uninsured. After visiting one of the first area free clinics in Dodgeville, Robin and Poul-Erik decided to finish the lower level at their Associated Balance & Hearing Clinic and transform it into a clinic with exam rooms, a waiting area, pharmacy, nurse’s station and reception area.

Clinic Opens
The InHealth Community Wellness Free Clinic opened its doors last summer and has since served hundreds of needy patients. It's pharmacy technician is retired Blue River physician Dr. James Heersma, who spoke of Robin Saturday.

"After hearing the accolades, you can't help notice that you've got a Type A female here, so it's been a very interesting ride," Heersma said. "I don't think you have any idea of the hours she puts in. If you say Robin might be a bit head strong, that would be putting it mildly. I've been working with this buzz saw for two years now."

Heersma characterized Transo as a "genius in finance" and noted her great level of compassion for those in need.

"I have never seen compassion of that extent that I've seen here at the free clinic," he said. "There's a real need here, and unfortunately I'm afraid the need will be increasing as our economy decreases."