Bill Text: VA SJR209 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Karen Darnell Wagner.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-03-07 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ209ER) [SJR209 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-SJR209-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Karen Darnell Wagner of Woodstock has ably served the Commonwealth for more than 35 years, making tremendous strides to improve the area emergency medical services system; and
WHEREAS, Karen Wagner was raised in Fairfax County, where she learned the benefits of community service from her father, who was a fire chief; she later moved to Strasburg and then to Woodstock, where she worked as a site supervisor at Valley Health, Valley Medical Transport, and raised one son and five grandchildren with her husband, Jim; and
WHEREAS, Karen Wagner participates annually in the Relay for Life in Shenandoah County as a survivor of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; and
WHEREAS, since 1982, when Karen Wagner first joined the Woodstock Rescue Squad (WRS), she has served in leadership positions including vice president, secretary, training lieutenant, by-laws committee member, and infectious disease officer; she was honored by the squad as a life member in 1992; and
WHEREAS, Karen Wagner also served in local government as chair of the Shenandoah County Emergency Services Task Force and secretary of the Shenandoah County Fire and Rescue Association EMS Safety Committee, among many other roles; and
WHEREAS, Karen Wagner has also been immensely active in the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads (VAVRS), serving as president, vice president, secretary, and editor of the Lifeline quarterly magazine; she has also held numerous District IV offices, including district vice president and Rescue College chair, as well as staff instructor, EMT instructor, EVOC instructor, a VAVRS instructor trainer, infectious disease instructor, and an American Heart Association instructor; and
WHEREAS, Karen Wagner was honored by the membership of the VAVRS in September 2003, when she was elected a life member of the organization, and she has been nominated to the Virginia Lifesaving and Rescue Hall of Fame for her activities and years of service; and
WHEREAS, Karen Wagner served on the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board for eight years and as its chair for four years; she currently serves as the chair of the Financial Assistance Review Committee; and
WHEREAS, Karen Wagner has received many awards and accolades, including the WRS President's Award (three times), Outstanding Service Award from Lord Fairfax EMS Council, VAVRS Outstanding Service Award, and Governor's Award for Excellence in EMS; and
WHEREAS, Karen Wagner has been the primary trainer for the VAVRS Infectious Disease programs since its beginning in 2013; of 49 classes on the subject statewide, she taught 42 of them, as well as all 45 of the Designated Officer Courses, which enrolled 520 students; and
WHEREAS, Karen Wagner has clearly demonstrated her desire to improve the emergency medical services system, her community, and the Commonwealth for more than three decades; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Karen Darnell Wagner for her more than 35 years of service to the residents of Woodstock and the Commonwealth; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Karen Darnell Wagner as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her leadership and exceptional achievements in the field of emergency medicine.
