Each spring, the Influence the Choice (ITC) Executive Board and Sector Representatives solicit and accept nominations from the community for the Vicki Hoffman Legacy Award. The Award will be presented at ITC’s June end-of-year meeting and celebration, now scheduled for June 8, 2022.
Honoring Vicki Hoffman
Vicki Hoffman was a founder of Influence the Choice, as she was for many other enduring legacies in the Issaquah community. She worked hard to recruit members, served as the first host for Action Forum for Youth and led the first Take Back Your Meds campaign, and was unanimously elected as the first chair of the board. Vicki served in that role until her death in Oct. 2013.
Vicki was a community organizer of the first order, but she is best remembered as an artist. Her penchant for bringing art into achieving even the most mundane tasks became her signature! Energized by her effervescent spirit, Issaquah’s art docent program grew into a formidable force for ensuring that the young people of Issaquah appreciated and participated in art.
Vicki was also an outstanding advocate for young people in need. She initiated a meals program at Tiger Mountain Community High School where she was a regular PTSA and art docent volunteer. Her spirit was sunny, optimistic, loving, creative, warm, informed and effective. A true and unforgettable “force of nature,” Vicki brought cheer and laughter to every encounter.
Criteria
People nominated for the Vicki Hoffman Legacy Award should embody the following criteria:
- Live or work in the Issaquah School District;
- Demonstrate a community commitment to the behavioral health and well-being of youth;
- Be an advocate for our mission of preventing youth substance abuse and promoting the mental, physical and social wellness of youth;
- Engage the work with commendable passion and obligation.
Deadline and Submission Information
People who wish to nominate a person for the Vicki Hoffman Legacy Award may:
- Fill out and submit a Google Form OR
- May submit a letter of no more than two pages by email to Barbara de Michele, Influence the Choice Board Chair, by midnight May 6, 2022. If submitting a letter, you should address how the nominee embodies the award criteria, along with any additional information deemed important to the nomination.
Nominators may include up to three references in support of the nomination, but these are not required or expected. If references are included, please provide email and phone contact information. Please also include address, phone and email contact information for both the nominator and the nominee. No submissions will be accepted after May 6.
Previous Vicki Hoffman Legacy Awardees
- 2019 Katie Moeller, ITC’s Youth Services Manager
- 2020 State Representative Lisa Callan
- 2021 Jerry Blackburn, former ITC Executive Director