WHEREAS, Peggy Pritchard Olson has been a longtime prominent citizen in the City of Edmonds and has contributed countless hours in community service as a volunteer and elected official; and
     WHEREAS, Peggy was able to help preserve the beautiful waterfront of the City of Edmonds through her work as a cofounder of the Washington Tea Party, a grassroots organization that worked on issues related to the Brightwater sewer treatment plant; and
     WHEREAS, Peggy was elected to the Edmonds City Council in 2004, served as President of the Council in 2007, was reelected, unopposed, in 2008, and continues to serve on the council and numerous council committees; and
     WHEREAS, Peggy is a founding member of the South Snohomish Cities, to increase communication between the county and its southern cities; and
     WHEREAS, Peggy Pritchard Olson was honored on Thursday, February 26, 2009, with the sixteenth annual Edmonds Kiwanis Club's "Citizen of the Year" Award; and
     WHEREAS, Peggy was diagnosed a year ago with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that strikes suddenly and mysteriously; and
     WHEREAS, Upon learning of Peggy's diagnosis, friends rallied to create "Team Peggy," which has brought community members together and has raised 28,000 dollars for the ALS Association through a variety of fund-raisers; and when Peggy learned that there was no local ALS Support Group, she helped establish a group at Steven's Hospital in Edmonds that quickly became one of the largest ALS Support Groups in a multistate region; and
     WHEREAS, Peggy's courage and determination have served as an inspiration to all, have generated public awareness of issues related to ALS, and have provided comfort to others who were coping with ALS but weren't aware of resources; and
     WHEREAS, The "Edmonds Loves Peggy" buttons seen around town bear testimony to the positive impact she has had on her entire community;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate does hereby recognize the various contributions and lasting legacy made by Peggy Pritchard Olson; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Peggy Pritchard Olson and to Gary Haakenson, the Mayor of Edmonds.