OWAC's Global Connect Award
There are people among us who inspire closer connection between Olympia and the world. They come from politics, academe, community activism and other walks of life. What they have in common is an ability to make a positive impact on our understanding of international issues and cultures. We recognize them and their contributions annually at our May receptions. Scroll down to meet our award winners and to learn about their contributions to Olympia's global connections.
2020 Winner: The Apparent Project
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At a small socially distanced gathering OWAC president Karen Valenzuela (right) and Board Member Amy Van Surksum (left) present OWAC's 2020 Global Connect Award to Marilyn Monaghan, Project Manager of the Lacey-based Apparent Project, for its work in Haiti.
The Apparent Project provides childcare, preschool, and early education, as well as job-skills training for teens and adults, with the goal of helping the poor become future leaders of integrity. The Apparent Project also provides a platform for sales of jewelry and other crafts made by Haitian artisans from repurposed materials, which provides income for the makers and helps fund the organization’s mission. Click to visit The Apparent Project on the web. |
2019 Winner: The Alaffia Foundation
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The 2019 Global Connect Award was presented to The Alaffia Foundation's Rose Hyde by OWAC President Karen Valenzuela at the annual OWAC reception. The Alaffia Foundation is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Tumwater with the mission of empowering African communities through the advancement of fair trade, education, sustainable living and gender equality.
The foundation grew out of Alaffia's personal care products business, which employs hundreds of women in Africa, primarily in Togo, to collect and process nuts of the shea tree into shea butter, as well as 140 people in Tumwater. Some of the profits go to the foundation, and with support from other donors, the foundation is able to run projects in Togo including providing maternal care, bicycles to school girls, eyeglasses, tree planting, environmental sustainability training, and school construction. Click to visit The Alaffia Foundation on the web. |
2018 Winner: Dining for Women, Olympia Chapter
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In 2018, OWAC's board has chose the Olympia chapter of Dining for Women as the Global Connect Award recipient. The organization describes itself this way: "Dining for Women is a global giving circle dedicated to transforming lives and eradicating poverty among women and girls in the developing world. Through member education and engagement, as well as the power of collective giving, Dining for Women funds grassroots organizations that empower women and girls and promote gender equity." The Olympia Chapter was founded in 2009 by Dr. Marie Johantgen, and has raised almost $50,000 since then. Dr. Johantgen will accept the award on behalf of the chapter.
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2017 Winner: Friendly Water for the World
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For the first time since we created the Global Connect Award in 2013, we are giving it to an organization: Friendly Water for the World. An Olympia-based group, Friendly Water is doing terrific work in Africa, Asia and Latin America training communities to use locally-available, affordable materials to build water filtration devices for home, school and village use. The devices are having dramatically beneficial health effects, as well as empowering the people who create and use them. Congratulations Friendly Water for the World!
Holding the award: Friendly Water Board Chairman David Albert Podium: OWAC Board President John Hamilton Click to visit Friendly Water for the World on the web. |
2016 Winner: Josephine Yung
The Olympia World Affairs Council presented its fourth annual Global Connect Award to St. Martin’s University Vice President Josephine Yung on Thursday, May 12.
In presenting the award to Yung, Council President John Hamilton told how Yung has been inspired by the power of personal contacts across borders and cultures to change the world for the better. Under her direction, St. Martin’s has forged partnerships with 25 universities abroad, in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, the UK, Germany and Russia. One of her most enduring accomplishments is the Saint Martin’s Dragon Boat Festival, which celebrated its 11th year just two weeks ago, with Chinese art, dance, food and the famous dragon boat races, dating to 4th century China. Fifty-two teams competed in this year’s festival.
In her remarks, Yung spoke of her experience in coming to the U.S. as a graduate student, how she became involved with organizing exchange programs and how it had changed her own life. She recounted the many funny and humbling experiences that working across cultures entailed and noted that not even being born in China and raised in Hong Kong prepared her for her experience in setting up exchange programs with Chinese universities.
Some 65 persons were on hand at the Council’s spring reception to honor Yung, including Dr. Roy Henderickx, President of Saint Martin’s and a dozen or more colleagues and friends of Yung.
In presenting the award to Yung, Council President John Hamilton told how Yung has been inspired by the power of personal contacts across borders and cultures to change the world for the better. Under her direction, St. Martin’s has forged partnerships with 25 universities abroad, in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, the UK, Germany and Russia. One of her most enduring accomplishments is the Saint Martin’s Dragon Boat Festival, which celebrated its 11th year just two weeks ago, with Chinese art, dance, food and the famous dragon boat races, dating to 4th century China. Fifty-two teams competed in this year’s festival.
In her remarks, Yung spoke of her experience in coming to the U.S. as a graduate student, how she became involved with organizing exchange programs and how it had changed her own life. She recounted the many funny and humbling experiences that working across cultures entailed and noted that not even being born in China and raised in Hong Kong prepared her for her experience in setting up exchange programs with Chinese universities.
Some 65 persons were on hand at the Council’s spring reception to honor Yung, including Dr. Roy Henderickx, President of Saint Martin’s and a dozen or more colleagues and friends of Yung.
2015 Winner: Ralph Munro
From prepared remarks for award presentation at OWAC's 2015 annual reception:
This year, we honor the founder of the Olympia World Affairs Council, Ralph Munro, whose contributions to international relations between the people of Washington and the world have had enduring impact and significance.
Ralph Munro was born in Seattle and reared on Bainbridge Island. He graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in education and political science. He now serves as a member of the board of trustees for the university. In 1966, Munro served as a VISTA volunteer.
In 1969, Governor Dan Evans hired Munro as a volunteer coordinator. In 1975, the governor sent Munro to California to find out about Vietnamese refugees arriving at Camp Pendleton. Munro found the commander and told him that as a representative of the state of Washington, “We are trying to figure out ways we can help. We'd like to consider and probably resettle some of these people in our state.”
Munro was elected five terms as the Secretary of State for Washington from 1981 through 2000. Early on, he was instrumental in saving orcas in Puget Sound from extinction and banning their capture by Sea World. During his tenure, Munro became Washington’s unofficial ambassador to the world, serving on numerous trade and cultural missions to foreign countries.
He was decorated by King Carlos of Spain and received the Russian Order of Friendship of Peoples, the highest award given by the Russian government to non-Russian citizens. Munro was a recipient of the Seattle World Affairs Council’s 1998 World Citizen Award. He also received the Warren G. Magnuson Award for outstanding public service and the Executive Leadership Award from the Washington State League of Women Voters.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $50,000 to the Ralph Munro Endowment for Civic Education at Western Washington University to establish a distinguished professorship in civic education. The Munro Institute for Civic Education at WWU is devoted to promoting civic literacy within secondary education and the public at large. It offers students, teachers and community members an opportunity to work with professors, activists and political leaders to learn how local, state and national politics develop.
He opened up his Triple Creek Farm property on Mud Bay to an archeological dig by the Squaxin tribe and South Puget Sound Community College, helping protect the site of a 700-year old village. Munro has conserved his farm with the Capitol Land Trust for which he is a major moving force.
Munro is a longtime member of the Rotary International team that goes to Africa each year to vaccinate children against polio in Ethiopia and Uganda.
He has had a long and abiding interest in his Scottish Highland heritage, often wearing a kilt and playing his bagpipes. Perhaps most relevant to us, Munro instigated the founding of the Olympia World Affairs Council 1985.
This year, we honor the founder of the Olympia World Affairs Council, Ralph Munro, whose contributions to international relations between the people of Washington and the world have had enduring impact and significance.
Ralph Munro was born in Seattle and reared on Bainbridge Island. He graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in education and political science. He now serves as a member of the board of trustees for the university. In 1966, Munro served as a VISTA volunteer.
In 1969, Governor Dan Evans hired Munro as a volunteer coordinator. In 1975, the governor sent Munro to California to find out about Vietnamese refugees arriving at Camp Pendleton. Munro found the commander and told him that as a representative of the state of Washington, “We are trying to figure out ways we can help. We'd like to consider and probably resettle some of these people in our state.”
Munro was elected five terms as the Secretary of State for Washington from 1981 through 2000. Early on, he was instrumental in saving orcas in Puget Sound from extinction and banning their capture by Sea World. During his tenure, Munro became Washington’s unofficial ambassador to the world, serving on numerous trade and cultural missions to foreign countries.
He was decorated by King Carlos of Spain and received the Russian Order of Friendship of Peoples, the highest award given by the Russian government to non-Russian citizens. Munro was a recipient of the Seattle World Affairs Council’s 1998 World Citizen Award. He also received the Warren G. Magnuson Award for outstanding public service and the Executive Leadership Award from the Washington State League of Women Voters.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $50,000 to the Ralph Munro Endowment for Civic Education at Western Washington University to establish a distinguished professorship in civic education. The Munro Institute for Civic Education at WWU is devoted to promoting civic literacy within secondary education and the public at large. It offers students, teachers and community members an opportunity to work with professors, activists and political leaders to learn how local, state and national politics develop.
He opened up his Triple Creek Farm property on Mud Bay to an archeological dig by the Squaxin tribe and South Puget Sound Community College, helping protect the site of a 700-year old village. Munro has conserved his farm with the Capitol Land Trust for which he is a major moving force.
Munro is a longtime member of the Rotary International team that goes to Africa each year to vaccinate children against polio in Ethiopia and Uganda.
He has had a long and abiding interest in his Scottish Highland heritage, often wearing a kilt and playing his bagpipes. Perhaps most relevant to us, Munro instigated the founding of the Olympia World Affairs Council 1985.
2014 Winner: Karen Fraser
State Senator Karen Fraser was the winner of OWAC's 2014 "Global Connect" award
From "Thurston Talk" May 8, 2014:
Honoring decades of commitment to international issues on behalf of Thurston County voters, the Olympia World Affairs Council will bestow its “Global Connect” award this year on Senator Karen Fraser (D-Thurston County). Fraser will be formally presented with the award at the Council’s annual reception, held this year at the Indian Summer Golf and Country Club on May 15.
“Senator Fraser’s involvement in global women’s issues and environmental concerns, along with her leadership in establishing sister-city and sister-state relationships, made her a natural choice for the award this year,” said Donna Hamilton, outgoing OWAC president and a former American diplomat. “Her nomination was unanimously supported by our board. She has been extraordinarily effective as an international representative for our region.”
One of Fraser’s signature pieces of legislation this year makes it a felony for one person to coerce another to provide unpaid or cheap labor, including sex services, by withholding the victim’s international travel documents. Gov. Jay Inslee recently signed her bill to combat this frequent aspect of the crime of international human trafficking. The law takes effect in June 2014.
“I hope the new law serves as both a deterrent and penalty for those guilty of these life-destroying crimes,” said Fraser. This new law is the latest of several pieces of state legislation Fraser has championed over the years to prevent and punish human trafficking, which is a top U.S. foreign policy priority.
The nature of the Pacific coast connection between Washington state and Japan has been important to Fraser over the years, and exquisitely lettered Japanese awards decorate a wall in her legislative office. A founding member of the Olympia-Yashiro/Kato sister city relationship in 1980, she has also been active in the Washington-Hyogo sister state relationship, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Exchanges of students, faculty, officials, and citizens between Olympia and Hyogo over the years have built bridges of friendship and business relationships that have benefited both communities.
At a Port of Olympia commission meeting last summer, Fraser was pleasantly struck by how welcoming residents were toward a visit by a delegation from Hyogo seeking to initiate a sister marina relationship between the Shin-Nishinomia Yacht Harbor, in Hyogo Prefecture, and the Port’s Swantown Marina, in Olympia.
“The other agenda items at the meeting involved serious and controversial issues, with quite a few members of the public present for them,” Fraser said. “Yet the public present for these other agenda items were gracious to our Japanese delegation, even breaking into spontaneous applause about the proposed marina relationship.”
A Thurston County resident for 47 years, Fraser believes the region places great emphasis on international issues and engagement. As an adjunct faculty member at The Evergreen State College for many years, she sees students as a positive factor in that engagement.
“Evergreen and St. Martins are both top contributors, per capita, to the Peace Corps,” said Fraser. “We have many international students at South Puget Sound Community College, as well as an active port. I think people here care about the bigger picture.”
Fraser will give remarks at the Olympia World Affairs Council event May 15, where she will tell the story of her own journey as a citizen legislator learning that our mutual human obligation to each other does not stop at the border.
“I like to visualize the earth from the moon, a small blue globe in space,” she said. “We’re all in this together.
Honoring decades of commitment to international issues on behalf of Thurston County voters, the Olympia World Affairs Council will bestow its “Global Connect” award this year on Senator Karen Fraser (D-Thurston County). Fraser will be formally presented with the award at the Council’s annual reception, held this year at the Indian Summer Golf and Country Club on May 15.
“Senator Fraser’s involvement in global women’s issues and environmental concerns, along with her leadership in establishing sister-city and sister-state relationships, made her a natural choice for the award this year,” said Donna Hamilton, outgoing OWAC president and a former American diplomat. “Her nomination was unanimously supported by our board. She has been extraordinarily effective as an international representative for our region.”
One of Fraser’s signature pieces of legislation this year makes it a felony for one person to coerce another to provide unpaid or cheap labor, including sex services, by withholding the victim’s international travel documents. Gov. Jay Inslee recently signed her bill to combat this frequent aspect of the crime of international human trafficking. The law takes effect in June 2014.
“I hope the new law serves as both a deterrent and penalty for those guilty of these life-destroying crimes,” said Fraser. This new law is the latest of several pieces of state legislation Fraser has championed over the years to prevent and punish human trafficking, which is a top U.S. foreign policy priority.
The nature of the Pacific coast connection between Washington state and Japan has been important to Fraser over the years, and exquisitely lettered Japanese awards decorate a wall in her legislative office. A founding member of the Olympia-Yashiro/Kato sister city relationship in 1980, she has also been active in the Washington-Hyogo sister state relationship, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Exchanges of students, faculty, officials, and citizens between Olympia and Hyogo over the years have built bridges of friendship and business relationships that have benefited both communities.
At a Port of Olympia commission meeting last summer, Fraser was pleasantly struck by how welcoming residents were toward a visit by a delegation from Hyogo seeking to initiate a sister marina relationship between the Shin-Nishinomia Yacht Harbor, in Hyogo Prefecture, and the Port’s Swantown Marina, in Olympia.
“The other agenda items at the meeting involved serious and controversial issues, with quite a few members of the public present for them,” Fraser said. “Yet the public present for these other agenda items were gracious to our Japanese delegation, even breaking into spontaneous applause about the proposed marina relationship.”
A Thurston County resident for 47 years, Fraser believes the region places great emphasis on international issues and engagement. As an adjunct faculty member at The Evergreen State College for many years, she sees students as a positive factor in that engagement.
“Evergreen and St. Martins are both top contributors, per capita, to the Peace Corps,” said Fraser. “We have many international students at South Puget Sound Community College, as well as an active port. I think people here care about the bigger picture.”
Fraser will give remarks at the Olympia World Affairs Council event May 15, where she will tell the story of her own journey as a citizen legislator learning that our mutual human obligation to each other does not stop at the border.
“I like to visualize the earth from the moon, a small blue globe in space,” she said. “We’re all in this together.
2013 Winner: Steve Niva
From the Olympia World Affairs Council, May 22, 2013
'Evergreen Educator Wins Olympia “Global Connect” Award"
Evergreen State College professor Steve Niva remembers a recent trip to Egypt, where a one-legged taxi driver in a beat-up sedan showed how determination can overcome the most daunting obstacles.
“I was riding along these crazy, chaotic streets of Cairo, when I suddenly realized this guy had one leg,” Niva told his Olympia World Affairs Council audience on May 18. “He had rigged all kinds of special levers and work-arounds in order to be able to drive and make a living. “
This human resilience in the face of political, religious and economic challenges is part of what keeps Niva coming back for more. His regular visits to the Middle East, often with students in tow, keep him in demand as a lecturer and commentator who has the freshest view on developments there.
Niva’s ability to connect Olympia with the greater world and his generosity in sharing his expertise with the community led the Olympia World Affairs Council to present him their “Global Connect” award.
“We wanted to recognize outstanding local people who have made a significant contribution to public understanding of international affairs,” said OWAC President Donna Hamilton, a former U.S. diplomat and native Olympian. “Steve is an exceptional person who really does connect at a global level and helps us understand what is going on in the Middle East.”
Niva received the award at OWAC’s annual reception, held May 18 at the Olympia Golf and Country Club. OWAC holds regular lectures at the Olympia Center with experts on foreign affairs issues. For a list of upcoming events, check olympiawac.org.
'Evergreen Educator Wins Olympia “Global Connect” Award"
Evergreen State College professor Steve Niva remembers a recent trip to Egypt, where a one-legged taxi driver in a beat-up sedan showed how determination can overcome the most daunting obstacles.
“I was riding along these crazy, chaotic streets of Cairo, when I suddenly realized this guy had one leg,” Niva told his Olympia World Affairs Council audience on May 18. “He had rigged all kinds of special levers and work-arounds in order to be able to drive and make a living. “
This human resilience in the face of political, religious and economic challenges is part of what keeps Niva coming back for more. His regular visits to the Middle East, often with students in tow, keep him in demand as a lecturer and commentator who has the freshest view on developments there.
Niva’s ability to connect Olympia with the greater world and his generosity in sharing his expertise with the community led the Olympia World Affairs Council to present him their “Global Connect” award.
“We wanted to recognize outstanding local people who have made a significant contribution to public understanding of international affairs,” said OWAC President Donna Hamilton, a former U.S. diplomat and native Olympian. “Steve is an exceptional person who really does connect at a global level and helps us understand what is going on in the Middle East.”
Niva received the award at OWAC’s annual reception, held May 18 at the Olympia Golf and Country Club. OWAC holds regular lectures at the Olympia Center with experts on foreign affairs issues. For a list of upcoming events, check olympiawac.org.