Karlyn Rapport awarded Evergreen Award
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MARQUETTE -- Karlyn Rapport was named the recipient of the 2026 Evergreen Award at Monday afternoon's ceremony, making her the first person to ever be presented with the award twice.
The Evergreen Award, which was established in 2007 growing out of the Zonta Club's Athena Award, recognizes extraordinary individuals who demonstrate excellence, creativity and initiative in their business, profession and/or volunteerism, while assisting and mentoring women and girls in reaching their leadership potential and providing exceptional service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community.
Rapport was the first ever recipient of the Evergreen Award in 2007, largely for her work as one of the founding mothers of the Marquette Women's Center, and her influence in opening the Harbor House and starting the Medical Care Access Coalition, as well as her tenure on the Marquette County Commission.
"It turns out that in 2007, (Rapport) was far from finished," said Award Chair Holly Jackson. "Nearly 20 years later, she is still leading, still advocating, still mentoring and still inspiring another generation of women to step forward."
Rapport has continued to work as a board member on the Marquette County Board of Health, has been active with the Alzheimer's Association, the American Association of University Women and the League of Women Voters. She also continues to serve on the Women's Center Finance Committee.
Recently, Rapport was part of the committee who gathered to brainstorm solutions after the April 2025 closing of Marquette's Planned Parenthood office. Rapport became a founding board member of Reproductive Health Resources, a nonprofit working to remove financial barriers to safe, dignified and affordable reproductive healthcare in the U.P.
"While many might be understandably enjoying a well-earned retirement from community service, (Rapport) apparently has other plans," said Jackson. "Because for her, there is always another person to help, another challenge to address and another opportunity to make a difference."
Members of Rapport's family had driven and flown long distances to watch her receive her award, which she said she was "overwhelmed" to receive.
"There's a Yiddish word called kvelling, which means overwhelming pride," said Rapport, accepting her award. "But the pride is in this community.
"I feel so grateful that together we are able to accomplish so much. It has meant that if there was a need, that there were enough people in this community to band together to meet that need, again and again."
"…Thank you for this award, but really, it's a community award," concluded Rapport. "I'm just proud of where we live."
Rapport was met with standing ovations both at the announcement of her award and at the conclusion of her speech.
The afternoon's program also included the presenting of the Evergreen Scholarship, a life-long learning scholarship for a nontraditional student who has provided valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community and has decided to further their education in order to reach their full leadership potential.
The 2026 Evergreen Scholarship was awarded to Anna Schnizler, an NMU student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Ecology.
"A scholarship like this makes a huge difference in a student's life like mine," said Schnizler. "They don't just provide financial support, but they also encourage me to keep going."
2025's Evergreen Award Recipient, Pam Christensen, also spoke about her inspirations and continued work. Christensen is the former library director of Peter White Public Library.
"The Evergreen Award is not about one person," said Christensen. "It's about all of us who live here in Marquette and who work to improve the community and lift others up.
"We don't always realize the impact we are making, but it is important we try and continue to do so."
Sponsors of the Evergreen Award include Acrisure, Embers Credit Union, West End Health Foundation, the Women's Center, Range Bank, UPHP, UPPCO and the Zonta Club of Marquette Area.
Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.