Rep. Ruth Kagi Receives Legislative Champion Award at Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington State Youth of the Year Event

Imani Bender, of the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County, and
Spencer Graham, of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Snohomish County,
presented Representative Kagi with the award.

Representative Ruth Kagi was one of the recipients of the Legislative Champion Award at the 2014 Washington State Youth of the Year gala dinner held on March 19, 2014. Each year Boys and Girls Clubs recognizes Washington State Legislators who distinguish themselves in support of Washington youth, families, and the work Clubs do in local communities. This year, the Club recognized four legislators, including Representative Kagi, who supported the Clubs last session by sponsoring legislation and advocating for funding for the capital budget.

Imani Bender, of the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County, and Spencer Graham, of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Snohomish County, presented Representative Kagi with the award.

“Interviewing 14 youth today has been an education in the leadership skills that the Boys and Girls Clubs provide,” she said of the experience.

As part of the Youth of the Year Program, Rep. Kagi was also one of six judges who interviewed each Youth of the Year finalist individually on their story and the impact of the Boys and Girls Clubs on their life. The Gala dinner, attended by local Youth of the Year winners and community members from across the state, is the culmination of months of hard work, community service, and speech and essay preparation by Washington State’s youth. The dinner followed a lunch, both at Bell Harbor International Conference Center, where the local candidates competed and shared their personal stories among board, staff, community leaders, their families and peers.

Tae McKenzie, of the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound was named the 2014 Washington Youth of the Year.

Each year a “Youth of the Year” is chosen to represent Washington in the Pacific Region Youth of the Year competition. This year’s regional competition will be held in Los Angeles in July. Winners are chosen first at a club level, then state, regional and national levels.

KeyBank, now in its fifth year sponsoring Youth of the Year, thinks of the program as an investment in young people.

Youth of the Year is the Boys and Girls Club of America premier recognition program for club members.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Washington exists to inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

About Representative Ruth Kagi

Ruth is a small-business owner and represents the 32nd District, including North King and South Snohomish County. She chairs the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee. Nationally, she is the past-chair of the National Conference of State Legislature’s Human Services Committee. Ruth’s long history of community and public service includes serving as Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Washington. She received her B.A. from the University of Washington and M.P.A. from Syracuse University. Since she began her term in the House in 1999, she has focused on improving the quality of early learning and child care, strengthening foster care, and reforming the state’s drug sentencing and truck safety laws.