Charlie Frame knows the importance of a helping hand at the right time.

His father died when Frame was only 11, but he had the Boy Scouts to steer him in the right direction.

“You’re lucky if you meet the right people,” said Frame. “Kids can pick up one thing that can trigger them going down the right path.”

For the past dozen years, Charlie and his wife Carolyn have been trying to make those critical moments available to kids on Bainbridge Island, at the same time growing a business that has gone from a start-up to an enterprise that employs over 60 people.

For their civic involvement and business success, the island’s Chamber of Commerce has selected the Frames as the 2003 Business Couple of the Year.

“They reflect the work ethic of the entrepreneur and the social conscience of the civic minded,” wrote former Chamber president Kent Kass in support of the Frames. “We are fortunate having them representing Bainbridge Island’s business community.”

The Frames came to Bainbridge in 1990 looking for a place to park their boat, and quickly decided to park themselves as well.

Carolyn had a background in banking, mostly in personnel, but when given the opportunity to manage a branch bank in Kitsap County, discovered she had a knack for sales.

She left the bank, started a mortgage-brokering business with a friend, then bought the friend out, becoming Carolyn Frame Associates.

Charlie had grown up in the meat business. He left his native Detroit to come west, worked with a grocery concern for a number of years, then became an executive with Baker Commodities, a rendering business.

Since taking early retirement from Baker in 1999, Charlie has assisted Carolyn in the mortgage business.

Both of them worked for concerns that emphasized community service.

Their first community effort was sponsoring a Babe Ruth baseball team. Then they became involved in the Boys and Girls Club, where Charlie became president of the board of directors.

They have been heavily involved in fund-raising for that group, particularly in the capital campaign that will lead to a clubhouse near the swimming pool.

“It’s a safe place for kids to go, with games and study areas,” Charlie said. “There is a drop-off facility for when there is no school or there is a short school day. It touches between 600 and 700 kids on Bainbridge.”

The Frames like to share their hobbies with youngsters – boat trips to Boys and Girls Club events on Blake Island, or recent private-plane flights conducted by Charlie, an amateur pilot.

“We took a bunch of kids to Arlington last week, and for some of them it was their first flight,” he said. “We did the weightless thing, where you come ‘over the top’ between a climb and a dive, and things start to float. It’s great to see the smiles on their faces.”

With their business acumen, the Frames have tried to teach area young people about the world of work. Carolyn conducts mock job interviews to give students and adults on welfare some practice for the real thing. And she welcomes the opportunities to offer on-the-job training to her employees.

“One of the things I loved about the bank was bringing in youngsters to mentor them, and having your own company lets you do the same thing,” she said. “It really empowers them.”

Not surprisingly, Carolyn’s interest in housing is reflected in their community activities. The Frames have been involved with Habitat for Humanity, and Carolyn is involved in an ad hoc group trying to find housing options for island teachers.

“So many factions have that same dream,” Charlie said, “but Carolyn has been able to pull in everybody.”

Charlie is gearing up for what may be his most intense challenge yet – chairing the annual Rotary Auction, scheduled for June 28.

“I swore I’d never go to a Rotary Auction,” he said, “but I went as a cashier one year, saw that it was an incredible organization and volunteered.

“We were invited to become Rotarians, and we did that as a couple.”

When they are not busy with work or with community efforts, they are “active grandparents” to 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

While they have set an example of community involvement, the Frames have also been inspired by the examples of others.

“Look at all the non-profit organizations here,” Charlie said. “The spirit of giving in this community is just incredible.”

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Carolyn and Charlie Frame will be honored at luncheon, 11:30 a.m. May 22, at Wing Point Country Club. The public is invited; space is limited. Tickets: $25. Reservations: Chamber of Commerce, 842-3700.