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Category: Giving Back

You can donate a state flag to Washington soldiers

You can donate a state flag to Washington soldiers

For years, soldiers from Washington have been flying their state flag while deployed to faraway places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. But they were required to buy those flags due to a quirk in state law that prohibited donations of state property to private citizens. With the help of 5th District state Rep. Jay Rodne, an Iraq War veteran, the Legislature in 2009 provided a way for the Office of Secretary of State to provide Washington State flags to military…

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Lillian Walker, civil rights pioneer, honored

Lillian Walker, civil rights pioneer, honored

It was like a combination of birthday party, book-launch, political rally and roast for a revered old friend. Lillian Walker, who has just turned a feisty 97, was the honoree at a civic event sponsored by Secretary of State Sam Reed, the YWCA and Mrs. Walkers’ numerous friends, family and colleagues in the long struggle for equality for all. Well before Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks were gaining fame, Mrs. Walker and her late husband James were organizing…

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`Spirit of advocacy’

`Spirit of advocacy’

Many state employees and other Washingtonians take great pride in giving back to their communities and providing opportunities for those at the margins.  The state Elections Division’s new minority language education coordinator, Cristina Labra, is such a “hometown hero” and her creative project is about to receive prestigious national award. Labra, 28, who grew up in Chile, the daughter of a farmer and architect, has a master’s degree from Evergreen, and has been active in programs for youth, English-as-a-second-language and…

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