Our League has established a lovely annual tradition. Each year, we recognize a special member as a Legend of the League. The award honors a current or past Snohomish County League member with a particular recognition for long, significant, and influential service to the League and the community.
This year, our Board of Directors chose to honor two outstanding League members: Rita Ireland and Vicki Roberts-Gassler.
Rita Ireland
The first thing you hear when Rita's name is mentioned is
energy.
As Karen Verrill, Chair of the state LWV Civic Education/The State We are In (TSWI) says, Rita always brought energy and humor to the committee meeting and her projects. For example, she utilized her network within the state library community and among teachers to get the word out about LWV education books. But she went beyond that large circle to the larger book-loving community, introducing the books to bookstore owners and convincing them to display the books in their windows, and distributing books to the public libraries.
Rita was the first League member that Mary Ross and her husband wanted to talk to when they decided to undertake a major voter registration campaign for the five high schools in the Edmonds School District. Mary was not disappointed. Rita was the right choice. She became a critical team member with valuable contacts in the schools, instant rapport with the students, and a can-do attitude about anything the students themselves suggested. She worked closely with the students to organize the planning, messaging and logistics of one-day events on campus that resulted in close to 400 Edmonds students being registered to vote. As they expanded their reach, an additional 200 students were registered at other schools in Everett and around the county. At a teacher’s invitation, they started planning to work with clubs representing diverse students when the schools were shut down due to the pandemic. But that did not stop Rita - she took multi-lingual QR code posters on voter registration to many groceries, restaurants, and other businesses serving diverse customers in the south county area.
Rita brings her outgoing personality, creativity and commitment to success to everything she does, and we are thrilled to honor her as one of our Legends.
Vicki Roberts-Gassler
Vicki not only served as President and Secretary of LWVSC, keeping the organization on task, she also dug into meaty projects such as the Study on Homeless Children and the Centennial Committee. She brought her extensive academic background to the task of researching, editing and co-writing the Childrens' Services Committee report on the growing problem of homelessness among children in Snohomish County.
Following that, she chaired the Centennial Committee, participating and encouraging others to don period costumes during the 100th anniversary of Women's Suffrage in the United State to numerous educational events - including the presentation of a play about the women involved in the struggle for women's right to vote, several parades, book readings at elementary school libraries to deliver books to their libraries, and even recently at a tea at the Mill Creek Senior Center. Her work extended beyond Snohomish County when the play she had written was performed not only on KSER, but also was picked up by one of the neighboring Leagues to our north.
Vicki's service to the LWV always brings a wider world view, Vicki having taught, worked and lived several decades in foreign countries, and you can always rely on her having read about most any topic that comes up. Her leadership makes her a Legend of the League.
Congratulations to you both!