Written by Amy Smith, President of HandsOn Network.

By now some of you have probably heard the tragic news that Sara Ballard, Executive Director of the Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties (VCLMT) passed away yesterday after suffering a stroke caused by a blood clot in her lung. Today, our thoughts are with Sara’s family, staff, board of directors and with each of you as we reflect on this great loss for Washington state and for our entire Network.

Since hearing of Sara’s passing we have been in contact with their office, with their State Association Chair Jacques Livingston and with Tara Smith from Seattle Works to offer our support and condolences.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Sara for the first time about four years ago when she was the chair of the Volunteer Centers of Washington and at the time I was the Western Regional VP for HandsOn Network.  I had come to Washington to learn more about the work of the state association there and provide an update on the work on HandsOn.

I vividly remember that meeting and Sara’s passion for her work shining throughout the conversation.  In all my interactions with Sara since then she has been a consistent and passionate advocate for service, volunteering, and giving back in communities.  Sara’s passing is a loss to the state of Washington and to the entire Network.

The Olympian has a reflection on Sara’s incredible life and accomplishments that you can read here.  You can read a tribute to Sara’s life and work at the Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason and Turston Counties’ website.