Barb Tengtio
LWVSKC members and friends light the way for the League’s work with their financial support — and it is greatly appreciated!
In October, LWVSKC Co-Presidents Kim Albert and Barb Tengtio hosted a Leadership Circle Brunch to thank some of LWVSKC’s donors for lighting the way to empower voters and defend democracy.
After a social hour over brunch, an update on LWVSKC work was shared; all were reminded of the League’s vision, mission, and value statements which are at the front and soul or center of all of LWVSKC’s work:
- VISION: We envision a democracy where every person has the desire, the right, the knowledge, and the confidence to participate.
- MISSION: Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
- VALUE STATEMENT: The League believes in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy.
Then, Barb shared some League stats:
- LWVSKC: 7 Units | 440 Members
- Washington State: 20 Leagues | 2,300 Members
- The Nation: 700 Leagues | 100,000+ Members
As shared and voted on at the annual meeting, a large effort took place this past year to merge our two League organizations (one a c4 and one a c3 organization) into one c3 organization. This was a huge undertaking and much needed for several reasons. Most of the folks that worked on this project were at the brunch and were acknowledged, including Kim Albert, Joanna Cullen, and Cindy Piennett. With this change, LWVSKC is much better positioned to deliver on its mission to empower voters and defend democracy. This group has continued to work together to finalize all the paperwork surrounding this change and is currently working to update our financial policies.
We've had a few Getting Engaged/Voter Orientation sessions over the summer and early fall, as we've had a fair number of new members join during this big election year. We are very happy to see members wanting to step up and volunteer right away.
Much of our volunteer efforts kicked off around the first of the four National Civics Holidays - National Voter Registration Day on September 17. LWVSKC partnered with Children’s Hospital at seven locations to provide voter registration and outreach. In addition, LWVSKC was present at several Mary’s Place locations, Jubilee House, and several libraries (including Broadview, Seattle Central, and Ballard). LWVSKC also engaged with both local Lush stores that are part of League’s National Partnerships efforts. And, at the Naturalization Ceremonies on September 17, LWVSKC member Nancy Iannucci registered a record 116 new voters!
Of course voter registration and outreach activities have continued throughout September and October at Lake City Food Bank, Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Elizabeth Gregory Home, North Seattle College, Seattle Central College, University District Chow Down, Forest Ridge High School, Mt Si High School, Franklin High School, UW Bothell, United Negro College Fund College Fair at Garfield High School, Microsoft 5k, Seattle Housing Authority, Plymouth Housing Authority, and Hopelink.
Prior to National Voter Registration Day, we were active during the summer at Fred Lynn Manor’s Community Dog Party, several Yoga Pop ups, El Centro De La Raza Outreach event, the Ballard food bank, and the Atlantic Street Center event.
The League is enjoying a large presence in King County, as well as being a strong community partner in getting out the vote activities!
For the second National Civics Holiday, National Voter Education Week held October 7 - 11, LWVSKC asked all members to reach out to a young adult and partner with them to help them become a regular voter. Additionally, we promoted our Civics and You! free resources available on our website, including engaging PowerPoint presentations and scripts about voting and leadership. LWVSKC piloted these free resources last fall with Inglemoor High School students, and promoted these resources with other schools throughout King County and the State with a Zoom session in October. LWVSKC worked again this year with Inglemoor High School teacher Alexandra Baker and her students to enable the students to put on an education forum on the subject of Housing. The students then practiced voting with a mock ballot to compare and discuss results in class, post-election.
The third National Civics Holiday was Vote Early Day on October 29; LWVSKC members were reminded to follow up with their young adult from National Voter Education Week and see if they needed help by offering to drop their ballot off, meeting up for coffee to go through VOTE411 or the voters pamphlet, or answering any questions they may have about their ballot or voting. “If we all partner up, we will increase voter turnout!”
The last of the four National Civics Holidays is Election Hero Day celebrated on November 14. This is where we acknowledge and say thank you to King County Elections, all of the election workers, and of course to the many LWVSKC members who have been observing at the elections. This is a very important function that the League provides; we currently have 30 approved election observers.
League members have done wonderful work around all National Civics Holidays; bravo to all our volunteers!
In addition to LWVSKC’s seven units meeting on a regular basis, LWVSKC’s committees include: Economics and Taxation, Education, Youth, Investment, and Observer Corps. Our Observer Corps especially is always looking for volunteers to attend, either in-person or by Zoom, town, city, or county meetings and share brief updates. If this is something that may be of interest to you, please let us know.
We have also been partnering with the State to help out on candidate forums this fall; we even hosted a Zoom event for members and the public on state ballot initiatives.
Again, bravo to all our members who are engaged in our mission to empower voters and defend democracy!
At our annual meeting each year, we acknowledge two outstanding volunteers and their contributions to LWVSKC; at brunch, we had the opportunity to present these awards in person.
Cindy Piennett was presented with the Carrie Chapman Catt Award. The award is given to a person or persons who exemplify those qualities attributed to Carrie Chapman Catt: Great ability and dedication to the community and the League of Women Voters.
Since 1991, we have honored outstanding League members who have made a lasting impact on our organization through their commitment to making democracy work, and this year’s Carrie Chapman Catt honoree is no exception.
Cindy Piennett has been a key financial advisor to the League for many years. In addition to serving as Treasurer, Cindy has continued to help our League by helping to train new Treasurers and providing invaluable advice to new and continuing members. She has keen expertise not only in finances but also in all administrative functions. Her willingness to provide continued help and support has allowed the league to maintain a level of continuity in spite of repeatedly changing treasurers and volunteers. A few of her major contributions include:
- Each year, Cindy manages the financial reviews for both the c3 and c4 organizations. This is a major task that requires significant time, effort, and patience. Cindy’s continued efforts in this area are key to keeping our League’s finances on track.
- Cindy started our League’s investment program with Morgan Stanley in 2015, and has continued to Chair the Investment Committee ever since the program was implemented. Due to Cindy’s foresight and ability to deliver, LWVSKC has earned over $55,000 in investment income. This has been a tremendous boon to our League, and would not have happened without Cindy’s leadership and expertise.
- This year, Cindy was instrumental in planning and implementing the c3-c4 merger. Her knowledge of our League, and her understanding of our situation, was the impetus behind making the move. She rolled up her sleeves and established the combined accounts needed to make the merger happen, and she continues to help with the many tasks needed to implement the merger. Her leadership in this effort has been amazing.
In general, Cindy has been extremely generous with her time and energy throughout the years and has provided the expertise needed to keep our financial house in order. We would be lost without her!
Given all of Cindy’s incredible contributions to our League, it is an honor to award her the Carrie Chapman Catt Award for an off-board member who demonstrates the principles and high ideals of Carrie Chapman Catt.
Grace Sanderson was presented with the Alice Paul Award; Alice Paul was among the most vocal and tactical suffragists in the early 20th century. She advocated for, and helped secure passage of, the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, granting women the right to vote, and she helped author the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923, which has yet to be adopted.
The Alice Paul Award, formerly known as the “rookie of the year,” is given to a relatively new League member who has wasted no time making their mark. This year, we have had a standout new Leaguer who jumped right in and took the lead in our Observer Corps area; we celebrate and congratulate Grace Sanderson with the Alice Paul Award.
Grace Sanderson joined the League in 2023, while a Political Science major at The University of Washington. She was seeking an avenue to be more engaged with the community and local government. She focused on rebuilding the Observer Corp by prioritizing observing the King County Council as it the common entity to all LWVSKC members, and she worked to build a relationship with the County Council administrators and prioritized observing the following committee meetings:
- Committee of the Whole (COW)
- Budget and Fiscal Management Committee
- Regional Policy Committee
- Transportation, Economy, and Environment Committee
She led the updating of the electronic form to make it easier for Election Observers to submit their reports, and led the organization of a virtual Lunch and Learn: King County Council 101 for all those interested in participating in the Observer Corp. At this event, the Chief Policy Officer for the King County Council spoke to the group, sharing the County's priorities for the coming year and ways of working. Grace worked to recruit new Observers utilizing communication channels, outreach on campus, and by speaking at the Getting Engaged event in January.
The Leadership Circle Brunch was enjoyed by all who attended and all were encouraged to share with friends and community members the important work of LWVSKC and to ask all to help light the way.
Please click here to make your financial contribution, and you, too, can light the way for LWVSKC to empower voters and defend democracy!
Leadership Circle Brunch Attendees
Cindy Piennett receiving the Carrie Chapman Catt Award
Grace Sanderson receiving the Alice Paul Award
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