Category Archives: WSGS Programs

Outstanding Volunteer Nominations Due May 1, 2022

by Roxanne Lowe

Do you have a few questions about the Outstanding Volunteer/Team Awards? We’ve put together a list of FAQs to help you.

  1. Who can nominate an Outstanding Volunteer or Team? Any local genealogical society or organization in Washington State can participate in the Outstanding Volunteer or Team program.
  2. Does my society have to be a member of WSGS to nominate someone? Actually, all local genealogical societies are complimentary members of WSGS. If, however, you’d like to become a paid member (only $12/year!), we’d love it. To become a paid organization, click here.
  3. Does our nominee have to be a member of WSGS? No, your nominee does not have to be a member of WSGS.
  4. Does WSGS choose the Outstanding Volunteer or Team from all the nominees? No. This program is not a competition among the nominees or societies.  WSGS honors every individual and team who is identified by their local genealogical organization for exceptional efforts. This is a means for local society and groups to give widespread recognition to their top volunteers.
  5. How many nominees can my society submit? We know there are a lot of your members who have worked hard since 2018 (the last year we made the awards), so in 2022 you can nominate up to four individuals or two teams.
  6. What does my nominee or team get for being an Outstanding Volunteer or Team? Each nominee will receive a personalized certificate outlining why they were nominated by their local society. He/she/they will also be featured on the WSGS Blog. It is also our hope that the nominating society will honor their volunteer at an upcoming meeting or event.
  7. Can we nominate someone who has been an Outstanding Volunteer before? Absolutely! More than 50 people have been honored more than once since the program’s inception in 2003.
  8. How can I see who my society has nominated in the past? Click here to see a cumulative index of all 1,400 names since 2003, listed by society and by individual name.
  9. Can we nominate someone posthumously? Yes. What a wonderful way show his/her family that you valued their late family member’s achievements.
  10. What if we want the nomination to be a surprise? We love surprises (and keeping secrets!) Just check the box on the nomination form to let us know you want to keep this under wraps until the “big announcement.”
  11. How do we nominate someone? We’ve made it pretty easy. The deadline is May 1 when we’ll need the easy-to-complete form and a photo. After that, you’ll get a chance to review and approve the certificate before it’s announced.
  12. When will the announcements be made? We’re still working out the details, but an announcement will be made on June 1, 2022.
  13. Where is the nomination form? Click here to download the form.
  14. Need more information? Email Info@wasgs.org if you’ve got question we haven’t covered.

Remember: the deadline is May 1, 2022!

Nominations Sought for President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement

by Roxanne Lowe

The nomination period for the Washington State Genealogical Society President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is open. Nominations are due by 01 May 2022.

The President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement is designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations.

The ideal recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement has:

• Exhibited long-term, consistent service in the field of genealogy, family or local history, the genealogical community, records preservation or made an important single contribution in those areas that will endure into the future.
• Demonstrated a high degree of energy, commitment, flexibility, and professional conduct.
• Provided significant support and impact to the local genealogical community time and time again.
• Exhibited personal influence and example to society members and/or the general public with their unselfish service.
• Supported or advanced local or statewide genealogical research.

Nominations may be submitted by any individual, local society or organization, regardless of WSGS membership. Nominees do not have to have been officers in their local societies.

Additional information, including the nomination form, is available here. Questions should be directed to Info@wasgs.org. Please type “President’s Award” in the Subject Line.

Recognize your Outstanding Volunteers and Team NOW

by Roxanne Lowe

WSGS is proud to announce that the Outstanding Volunteer and Team Awards are back!!

After a three-year hiatus and a global pandemic, it’s time to honor those members who kept societies together and moving forward. Local societies can submit up to four individuals or two teams/projects for special recognition by WSGS.

The process for this year’s Outstanding Volunteer/Team Award program is accelerated and streamlined to recognize our volunteers as quickly as possible. They all deserve it, don’t they?

Letters to local societies and organizations, with additional details, have been emailed to society contacts. If you have not received that information, please contact Roxanne Lowe, WSGS Secretary at Info@wasgs.org. The milestones for this year’s nomination process are:

• No later than May 1, 2022: Submit the name(s), narratives and photographs of your honorees to Info@wasgs.org. The narrative (approximately 150 words) should explain the accomplishments of your nominee and why you are honoring him/her. The photograph should be a good quality digital photograph (at least 300 dpi).
• June 1, 2022: Formal announcement of the recipients will be announced.

Additional details and deadlines, plus indexes of honorees since 2003, may be found at the WSGS website at: https://www.wasgs.org/cpage.php?pt=54

Please contact Roxanne Lowe at Info@wasgs.org if you have questions or suggestions.

She’s BAAAACK!

by Roxanne Lowe

We’re thrilled to announce that Donna Potter Phillips, blogger extraordinaire, is returning to the WSGS Blog.

Let’s talk about what Donna is holding.

Donna is an enthusiastic lover of genealogy, history, humor and trivia and she wants to share it with you. In her upcoming column “Let’s Talk About…” (debuting on Monday), she’ll share what’s on her mind, lighten our days and educate us on a wide variety of topics. She previously authored weekly musings on the Blog from 2015 – 2019 — covering everything from upcoming genealogical events to the origins of the pretzel. And don’t forget her posts on the pedigree of Donald Duck and her suggestions to find when your ancestors arrived in the U.S. To read any of Donna’s previous postings, type “Monday,” “Tuesday,” “Wednesday,” or “Serendipity” into the Blog’s search bar. To read more about Donna, click here.

Welcome back, Donna! We’re looking forward to reading “Let’s Talk About…”

How to Post Your Meetings & Events on the WSGS Blog and Website

by Roxanne Lowe

Do you want to broadcast information about your local society, workshop, genealogical tip, or a research query? Just send it to the WSGS Blog and WSGS Meetings and Events! You can reach hundreds of genealogists from around the state. Just email a Word document, text file, PDF or graphic to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org and WSGSWebManager@wasgs.org and we’ll do the rest!

We’re always looking to publicize local events and workshops, feature stories, updates from your society, and other genealogical information that might be of interest to our many subscribers and viewers.

We hope to hear from you soon! And don’t forget to encourage your Society members to subscribe to the Blog for the most up-to-date information from around the state.

You may manage your subscription options from your profile.

Supportive Grant Recipients Announced

by Roxanne Lowe

Congratulations to the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society and Grays Harbor Genealogical Society for receiving WSGS Supportive Grants.

Scanning equipment: The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society (YVGS) has been collecting and preserving area obituaries since 1968. To date, they have collected around 300,000 obituaries, mainly from the Yakima Herald Republic covering the time period from 1969 to 2021.  The records are available to the public, free of charge, either by visiting their library or by requesting copies by mail.  Due to the lack of digitized copies of the Herald and other local papers, however, YVGS has not been able to gather all of the obituaries from the late 1800’s to 1968, leaving a huge gap in their coverage of the papers.

To fill the gap, YVGS recently purchased a microfilm/microfiche reader/scanner that can digitize full rolls of microfilmed newspaper in as little as one hour per roll. The WSGS Supportive Grant, along with financial support from their members, will be applied to offset the $5,600 cost of the machine.

Once up and running, the unit will allow YVGS library patrons to print or digitize copies of pages or documents from the 6,000 microfilms and 6,000 microfiche residing in their library. In addition, the unit will be available to be used by members of other societies in the state.  By visiting their library, societies will be able to easily digitize their own microfilmed records.

Hybrid Meeting Equipment: The Grays Harbor Genealogical Society (GHGS) has struggled to maintain membership and meeting attendance in their small society (45 members) since March 2020. BC (before COVID), they averaged 20 – 25 members at each meeting. Now, they are averaging 10 – 15 at virtual meetings via Zoom. To better understand why members weren’t participating in virtual meetings, they conducted an online survey. Many replied they wanted to meet in person, finding value in in-person interactions. There were others, however, that were still wanting to meet virtually (because of distance, health issues or convenience).

To retain and increase their membership, GHGS is planning to start “hybrid” meetings in February or March 2022. They plan to use their Supportive Grant monies to purchase equipment that will allow all participants to feel the “connectiveness” they want — whether in person or virtually. They are researching the purchase of a camera, microphone and speaker. They already a member who has volunteered to be their technical expert to run the equipment and monitor speakers and listeners.

Congratulations to YVGS and GHGS. The review panel was very impressed with the caliber of the other societies’ applications. WSGS is hoping to offer Supportive Grants in 2022.

Deadline for Supportive Grant Application is Oct. 31

by Roxanne Lowe

Societies: The application deadline for WSGS’s new Supportive Grant is Sunday, October 31. Societies are urged and encouraged to submit applications for one of the two $250 grants designed to fill a societal need or support a special project.

The simple application is only one page and is available here. There is also additional guidance on the program. For more information, visit our website at http://www.wasgs.org/cpage.php?pt=49.

Questions should be directed to Info@wasgs.org. Please note “Supportive Grant” in the Subject Line. The winners will be announced on November 11, 2021.

WSGS Supportive Grant Deadline — October 31

by Roxanne Lowe

It’s not a trick — only a treat. The deadline for WSGS Supportive Grant applications is October 31.

WSGS is awarding two $250 Supportive Grants to local genealogical societies for special projects or purchases. The grants are designed to fill a need or support a special project of WSGS-member societies and organizations.

The simple application is only one page and is available here. There is also additional guidance on the program. For more information, visit our website at http://www.wasgs.org/cpage.php?pt=49.

Questions should be directed to Info@wasgs.org. Please note “Awards” in the Subject Line.

Supportive Grants Are Waiting For You

by Roxanne Lowe

If your local genealogy society needs financial assistance for a special project or purchase, consider applying for a WSGS Supportive Grant. Applications are being accepted through October 31, 2021.

The grants, up to $250 each, are designed to fill a need or support a special project of WSGS-member societies and organizations. Ideas are limited only by societies’ creativity. Some ideas include:

  • Equipment, such as video camera, microphone, tripod, mixing board, or screen, as your society moves to hybrid meetings.
  • Purchase of furniture, equipment, books, magazines or other publications/ subscriptions for an existing or new society library.
  • Locating, inventorying, restoring and/or preserving a local cemetery.
  • Hosting a special event, presentation, or workshop.
  • Purchasing genealogical-related software, scanner, projector, peripherals or other equipment or technology.
  • Developing a project serving special populations, e.g. senior citizens, children/teens, tribal members, ethnic organizations, etc..
  • Restoring and/or preservation of photos or original documents.
  • Identifying and unifying old photos, Bibles, quilts, letters or other significant memorabilia with family members, museums, or other good homes.
  • Creation of a website, blog or other communication tool.
  • Publication of local history or narratives.

The awards do not have to be repaid — they’re yours to support worthy projects. Two grants will be awarded in 2021.

The simple application is only ONE page and is available here. There is also additional guidance on the program. For more information, visit our website at http://www.wasgs.org/cpage.php?pt=49.

Questions should be directed to Info@wasgs.org. Please note “Awards” in the Subject Line.

Ginny Majewski Announces She’s Not Running For WSGS President

by Roxanne Lowe

Virginia “Ginny” Majewski has announced she will not seek another term as president of the Washington State Genealogical Society. President since January 2017, Ginny feels it’s time to pass the gavel to someone else.

In a recent interview, Ginny was asked her proudest accomplishments in her five-year tenure. She replied:

Finding ways to help genealogical societies in Washington State through these difficult times. I am very proud of the financial support we provided to all of the genealogy societies during the Covid epidemic. Although WSGS could not give much to each society, in total we distributed over $10,000 to 40+ societies. I would like to think it helped keep some of our societies alive.

Also, I was honored to work with DSHS and with the IJGS and FGS to keep access to vital records in Washington State open for genealogists. Although we did not get everything we wanted, we were able to maintain access rather than have vital records be totally closed for 50-100 years. That process took over a year of conference calls and legislative interactions, but was worthwhile in the long run.

When asked where she hoped WSGS would go in the future, she expressed her optimism:

WSGS has found its niche. We are here to help genealogical societies and be a conduit for genealogical information. My hope for the future is that WSGS will be THE go-to place when searching for genealogical resources, information and activities in Washington State. I would like to see our website become more interactive and our blog have more contributions and highlight society events. I would also love to see us find a way to honor our wonderful society volunteers again.

If you think Ginny is going to end her presidency quietly, you’re wrong. Her parting comment was “I am looking forward to announcing WSGS’s plans for honoring our Pioneer ancestors next month.” We’re looking forward to that!

If you’d like to read more about Ginny, check out this “Meet the Board” article.

The WSGS Board is looking for members to serve on a nominating committee. If you’re interested in this very important short-term opportunity, please email the Board at Info@wasgs.org and type “Nominating Committee” in the subject line.