Check out KING 5 Evening Magazine's announcement 
of our National Nominee! 

Read more

Don't forget to VOTE HERE for your favorite 2012 Washington State winner!

Who will be our National Nominee? 

Richard Adler – Seattle, WA   Click here to watch Richard's video.

Maureen Browning – Snohomish, WA   Click here to watch Maureen's video.

Greer Gates – Poulsbo, WA   Click here to watch Greer's video.

Maria Koh – Seattle, WA   Click here to watch Maria's video.

Cindy Nofziger – Seattle, WA   Click here to watch Cindy's video.

Did you miss Monday's Evening Magazine special?

Watch video clips about the 2012 Washington State Jefferson Award winners here!

And don't forget to vote online!

Richard Adler – Seattle, WA

Click here to watch Richard's video.

In his work as a personal injury attorney, Richard worked with a number of clients suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Many of his clients and their families struggled to get the care and services they needed. Richard stepped in to fill a void, becoming president of the Brain Injury Association of Washington (BIAWA). He then went to work in the community.  In addition to coordinating care and services, Richard has also been the legal guiding light behind two key Washington State bills for TBI survivors. The “Tommy Manning Act,” was named after a TBI survivor and established funding for TBI support services in Washington State - a first!  He then championed the “Zackery Lystedt Law” establishing guidelines for the management of concussions for young people involved in sports. It was the first law of its kind in the United States. Richard then forged relationships with nationally known sports physicians, the National Football League, and the Centers for Disease Control, and has fostered the passage of similar legislation in a majority of the 50 states.

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They were nominated by the public.

They were chosen by our judges. 

and now...

YOU pick your favorite.

Watch.

The 2012 Washington State Jefferson Awards winners will be featured on KING 5's Evening Magazine TONIGHT!  Tune in or stream online at KING5.com.

Vote.

Our five Washington State winners were chosen by our panel of judges, but only you can help us pick our National Nominee!  After tuning in to tonight's special, vote online March 12th-16th for who you think should represent our state at the National Jefferson Awards.

Celebrate!

Start your day with past winners and fellow community members as we celebrate our five Washington State winners with a breakfast on April 25th.  Be inspired to take action in your community and be part of the audience for the first public announcement of which winner will be our National Nominee!  

We are proud to announce our 2012 Washington State Jefferson Award Winners!

Richard Adler – Seattle, WA

In his work as a personal injury attorney, Richard worked with a number of clients suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Many of his clients and their families struggled to get the care and services they needed. Read more...

Maureen Browning – Snohomish, WA

In 2004, Maureen formed Friendship Adventures (FA) in an effort to better the life of her brother, Dean, who has Down syndrome and others with developmental disabilities. Read more...

Greer Gates – Poulsbo, WA

When Greer Gates was 7 years old, the term “cancer” entered her vocabulary when she saw the effects on a family friend, Nancy, who was struggling with ovarian cancer.  Greer was inspired to act with a vision that she could make a difference not only for Nancy, but also for so many others affected by this devastating disease. Read more...

Maria Koh – Seattle, WA

Maria’s distinguished career at the University of Washington Medical Center as a hospital and clinic nutritionist led to the development of cutting-edge education for health providers and consumers. Read more...

Cindy Nofziger – Seattle, WA

Cindy returned to visit Sierra Leone in June of 2004, and a local friend asked if she could help him rebuild a school in his village that was destroyed during the recent civil war. Without any experience, her determination to “try” as she had promised led her to take the first step. Read more...

Read more

Head on over to the 2012 Jefferson Awards page and nominate your hero today!

You can also learn more about the Jefferson Awards by checking out this edition of Comcast Newsmakers Western Washington with our very own Program and Operations Manager, Jessica Jones!

                                                                                              "This honor is a once in a lifetime gift - a wonderful opportunity to share my passion with others in the hope that they will be inspired to make a difference in their community, too. Thank you for recognizing the positive impact of volunteers across the State of Washington. I am in awe of the honorees who share the honor with me and I am inspired by them to continue to work had and find creative ways to address the challendges of serving those less fortunate in my community."

- Peggy LaPorte, FUSION Founder, Washington State Jefferson Award Winner 2011.

(Pictured: Washington State Jefferson Award Winners 2011)

Nominate your community hero today!

Five volunteers from Washington State will receive the Washington State Jefferson Award for their outstanding volunteerism. The winners will be judged by a panel of community leaders and their stories will be told on Evening Magazine the week of March 12th. New this year, winners will receive a gift of volunteer management assessment and consultation from the United Way of King County. One winner will be selected as the National Nominee and will be sponsored to represent our state in Washington D.C. You can help select the National Nominee by watching Evening Magazine during the week of March 12, then voting at KING5.com. Anyone in Washington State can vote. All five winners will be recognized at a breakfast in April in Seattle. The National Nominee will be announced at that time and also featured that day on New Day Northwest. The public is invited to attend the breakfast to honor our Jefferson Award winners and take part in the call to action for volunteerism. Click here to nominate your hero.

Watch KING5 tonight at 7pm!

Find out about the amazing work of last year's Washington State Jefferson Award Winners and the Washington State Nominee, Meghan Johnson, who went on to win the National Jefferson Award. Then nominate your hero and you might see them on KING5 Evening Magazine in April 2012.

The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award is presented annually to five “Unsung Heroes” across America for extraordinary and selfless volunteer work in their communities

Seattle - Tuesday, June 21, CityClub announced that Megan Johnson, Washington State’s 2011 Jefferson Award winner, is among 18 Americans whose extraordinary, selfless contributions to the community good have earned them the nation’s highest honor for public service at the national 2011 Jefferson Awards.  The awards are being presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday evening, June 21.  Megan will be presented with one of the five the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Awards. 

Megan has accomplished more in her 19 years than most do in a lifetime.  Though she endured 27 surgeries to correct a facial disorder, she has worked tirelessly to help those less fortunate in her community.  She is the founder of Kids Helping Kids, an organization that collects and distributes DVDs to patients in children’s hospitals; From the Heart, an organization that makes and distributes blankets for babies affected by drugs or poverty; and Megan’s Mission, an organization that gives out blankets and other necessities to the homeless to remind them that they are not forgotten.  She has donated much of her own money to various causes, from a local homeless shelter to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Watch Evening Magazine Tonight, Wednesday, June 22^nd at 7:00pm on King 5 TV to see a profile of Megan and the proceedings in D.C.

CityClub presents the Washington State Jefferson Awards with King 5 TV.  In 2011, the awards were sponsored by Starbucks, Microsoft, King 5 TV, Safeco and Wells Fargo. Watch the proceedings in Washington D.C. tonight on King5 Evening Magazine.

And nominate your unsung heroes for the 2011 Jefferson Awards! CityClub will begin receiving applications in December 2011.

Photo: Megan Johnson in Washington D.C. accepting her award on Tuesday, June 21, 2011

There's a lot of excitement happening in our office these days! Last week, our panel of judges met to choose 5 Washington winners from our plethora of amazing nominees - a tough job I don't envy. :)

After the judges made their decisions, Diane (our executive director) had the distinct pleasure of calling the winners to let them know they'd been chosen. Now that they know they're winners, we can tell you who they are!

...but first, some information about what comes next! We can only send one person to the National Jefferson Awards celebration - and we have you pick them. KING 5 will be filming interviews with all the winners, and will air them on Evening Magazine the week of March 28th, and you'll be able to vote online for your choice. We'll announce soon when voting will open. 

And so, without further delay, the Washington Winners of the 2011 Jefferson Awards are...

Ahndrea Blue – Seattle, WA
Through her work to establish a food bank in east Tacoma, Ahndrea and "The Making A Difference Foundation" have brought relief to those in need in this community and inspired many others to volunteer. The food bank, called Eloise’s Cooking Pot, provides a balanced and nutritious diet to families in need, and also provides food for those with dietary or cultural food requirements. Her community service philosophy: "I recognize that everyone, at a point in their life, needs help. I am hoping that by helping people with food and other items, when they are on their feet and are able, that they will pay it forward and help someone else."

Phyllis Jean Camfield – Port Townsend, WA
Jean Camfield not only helped to found and operate the East Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity Affiliate for many years, she completely revolutionized the organization’s funding model by opening the "Habitat Store," a furniture store whose profits help fund the purchase of land for further Habitat for Humanity development.  The store is mostly volunteer run.  And she still comes in on Tuesdays to work with volunteers as they sort, price, repair and clean donated merchandise.

Megan Johnson – Federal Way, WA
Megan Johnson has accomplished more in her 19 years than most do in a lifetime.  Though she endured 27 surgeries to correct a facial disorder, she has worked tirelessly to help those less fortunate in her community.  She is the founder of Kids Helping Kids, an organization that collects and distributes DVDs to the patients in children’s hospitals; From the Heart, an organization that makes and distributes blankets for babies affected by drugs or poverty; and Megan’s Mission, an organization that gives out blankets and other necessities to the homeless to remind them that they are not forgotten.  She has donated much of her own money to various causes, from the local homeless shelter to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Peggy LaPorte – Federal Way, WA
In 1993, Peggy LaPorte recognized a need to help the homeless in South King County and founded FUSION.  Seventeen years later, FUSION operates under Peggy’s guidance with an all-volunteer staff of over 200 to provide transitional housing to those in need.  The organization owns 16 units.  Peggy’s tireless pursuit of government grants, corporate sponsorships, private donations and volunteers testifies to her tenacity.  Her organization has become a nationally-recognized non-profit, and has changed the lives of over 165 families by providing them with a secure environment and clear goals to help them get back on their feet.

Jim Theofelis – Seattle, WA
Jim Theofelis founded the Mockingbird Society in 2001, an organization that empowers youth in foster care to advocate for themselves.  The goal of the Mockingbird Society is simple, yet innovative: Ask the youth who are in the foster care and kinship care system what can be done to improve it, and bring their voices to bear on social justice and change.  The Mockingbird Society has gone from a small non-profit operating out of an office underneath the University Bridge, to a statewide organization of youth in every region, who advocate for themselves in their community and at the state level.  His work has directly affected the lives of many youths in need, and has had a direct impact on legislation at both the state and federal level.

Congratulations to all our winners, and all our amazing nominees! Click here for the full list of the 2011 Nominees.

See a name you know? Join us as we honor the Washington winners at the Jefferson Awards breakfast at the Space Needle on Wednesday, April 13.

Have you nominated your hero already?

Help us spread the word about the Jefferson Awards! Tell your friends, family and colleagues that you nominated, and encourage them to do the same!

Looking for an easy, great way to spread the word? From now until the nomination deadline (February 10!) change your profile picture - on Facebook, Twitter, or whatever your social media of choice - to the Jefferson Awards medallion!

All Washington Winners receive one of these wonderful medallions, engraved with their name and the year they received the award. Help us honor our past winners, and our future winners!

P.S. We're using the hash tag #JeffersonAwards on Twitter - you can too!