Generals' Annual Award Ceremony
On December 12th, 2017, the Association of Washington Generals and Office of the Lieutenant Governor held a celebration to recognize the contributions of exemplary Washingtonians by bestowing the 42nd Annual Washingtonian of the Year Award to Gregg Alex and Dora Krasucki, and the Washington State Community Service award to Assunta Ng.
Before Lieutenant Governor Habib recognized and awarded the recipients, Secretary of State Wyman delivered remarks on the impact of community service, emphasizing the selflessness shown by those who dedicate time and effort to making a real difference in their communities. Secretary Wyman noted that that the work the Generals do to recognize service is more important now than ever: in a time when our country seems more conflicted and divided, it is important to cherish and celebrate our common humanities.
Lieutenant Governor Habib’s remarks followed, and he highlighted the outstanding efforts this year’s awardees have made to improve the lives of others in Washington state. Lieutenant Governor Habib explained that every year the Generals award the Washingtonian of the Year Award to individuals who have demonstrated leadership, selflessness, generosity, and compassion in their service to others. He went on to describe the service this year’s recipients of the Washingtonian of the Year award have contributed to the state: Gregg and Dora founded the Matt Talbot Center, a recovery center that provides intensive outpatient programs for men and women, as well as counseling programs, crisis intervention, and housing and shelter assistance. For over 30 years, Gregg and Dora have supported the Greater Seattle area with their dedicated service, leadership and spiritual guidance.
Before presenting the next award, the Lieutenant Governor explained that the Community Service Award is given to residents of Washington state who have performed outstanding service to their communities and deserve statewide recognition. Assunta Ng is the Founder and Publisher of the Northwest Asian Weekly (NWAW), the only weekly English-edition newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NWAW has one simple goal: To empower the Asian Community. Ng is incredibly deserving of this recognition not only for her outreach through NWAW, but for her personal community service, and for her foundation’s work promoting opportunities in higher education for women, the Asian community, and others.
Following the Lieutenant Governor's remarks, the recipients each took the podium to share with the room their personal motivations for serving their communities, the challenges and triumphs of their decades of work, and their hopes for the years to come.