Volunteers rock!

Over 500 volunteers work with the State Library, Legacy Project, State Archives and Historic Records Project to fulfill the Secretary of State’s mission of historical records preservation and public access.

Secretary of State Sam Reed honored the army of volunteers at a special appreciation luncheon in Chehalis.  The annual tradition gave the Secretary and project managers a chance to commend the time and talents the volunteers bring to their tasks.

The event marks the tenth anniversary of the Historic Records Project, which has transcribed 3.4 million records that are now available online worldwide.  If not for our volunteers, the project would not be what it is today, said state Archivist Jerry Handfield, and the citizen volunteers saved taxpayers $500,000.

Several outstanding volunteers were presented with Certificates of Appreciation and were photographed with Secretary Reed, who is leaving office after 12 years.  The event also featured the inaugural “Volunteer of the Year Award,” which was given posthumously to “super-volunteer” Roger Easton, who died earlier this month.

Assistant Secretary of  State Steve Excell noted that Easton worked tirelessly and enthusiastically, sometimes working seven days a week on the Historic Records Project, State Archives, Legacy Project and multiple causes in the Olympia community and across the whole of Washington.  He was the first volunteer for the Historic Records Project and future Volunteer of the Year awards will be presented in his honor.