Jenny Thompson has received the 2018 General George C. Marshall Public Leadership Award, and Washougal High School senior Bridgette McCarthy is the youth recipient.
The awards were presented during Wednesday’s ceremony at Providence Academy, which featured an address by Kim Wyman, Washington’s secretary of state.
Thompson, the 29th recipient of the Marshall Public Leadership Award, is the executive director of the Police Activities League of Vancouver.
In her letter of recommendation, Ginny Gronwoldt wrote: “Jenny has devoted herself to enriching the lives of our most vulnerable youth and building the relationship between those youth and law enforcement.
“She has earned the respect of many of her peers and local community leaders with her passion, determination and contagious personality,” according to a news release from The Historic Trust, which organizes the annual Marshall awards program.
Thompson will travel to Lexington, Va., to tour the Marshall Foundation, and to Colonial Williamsburg and Washington, D.C. She will also participate in The Historic Trust’s Celebrate Freedom programs throughout the year.
McCarthy, the youth recipient, was recognized for her volunteer efforts, including more than 800 hours of community service. She is a student representative on the Washougal City Council and a youth representative for the Washougal Community Coalition.
The youth leadership award includes an internship in the Celebrate Freedom programs office and a $2,500 college scholarship.
The awards honor the leadership legacy of Marshall, commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade at Vancouver Barracks from 1936 to 1938.
During World War II, Marshall served as the Army chief of staff. He was U.S. secretary of state from 1947 to 1949, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Marshall Plan, which helped rebuild the economies of Europe and the Pacific nations after the war.
The Marshall leadership awards are sponsored by Riverview Community Bank.
