The story of the HILTS family in Alaska begins with the arrival of Rodney and his wife Sunni and their five children in 1970. It was to be a one-year move and a stepping-stone to get to Homer, but that was before they laid eyes on Seldovia. “We came on the ferry and came around the corner and Rod said, ‘Forget Homer,’ and I said, ‘Thank you, God,’” said Sunni Hilts. After teaching one year, Sunni Hilts has worked as a substitute teacher and ran a local substance-abuse program. Rod Hilts taught until 1987 and then went to work for Seldovia Village Tribe. During their years in Seldovia, the Hilts family has lost several family members. A wave swept their son from a fishing boat, their daughter died in 2000 and her husband not long after that. They lost an adopted daughter to substance abuse. “My ties to this community are really strong,” said Hilts. “It’s one of those kinds of communities that people know too much about each other, but when there’s a problem, they all come together.”