Anne Schink of South Portland was honored for her long and outstanding service to the League of Women Voters at the LWVPA annual meeting on Thursday, May 10th by being presented with the Emily Farley Award. To be considered for the Emily Farley award, one must demonstrate:

• Substantial respect for the League of Women Voters in the community.
• Outstanding leadership ability (motivating others, initiating new ideas and directions, taking risks).
• High standards of performance (thoroughness, reliability, attention to detail, organization).
• A deep commitment to the purposes and processes of the League.
• Devoted service to the League.

Anne has provided long-term commitment, passion, and skilled leadership to the League for approximately 50 years starting with her work in the 1960s with the LWV of Pennsylvania. Marsha Bingler, LWVPA member, has known Anne since the beginning. Marsha was living in Pennsylvania and worked closely with Anne when they met at a Pennsylvania State Convention. Marsha was the President of the LWV of Pittsburgh while Anne was then the State President of the LWV of Pennsylvania. "She was a pleasure to work with because she inspired others and was dependable, organized and knowledgeable. But most importantly, she served the League with exceptional devotion," Marsha stated.

There is one person who has witnessed the strong leadership and dedication Marsha speaks of from a more personal perspective. That is her daughter + Sarah Robinson, also a member of the LWVPA. Although Sarah, and her sister Ellen, didn't always understand their mother's commitment to the League, Sarah admits that her mom's dedication created one of the best childhood experiences anyone could ask for. "Mom would give me days off from school," Sarah said. "She would call them `Mental Health Days,' and I would get to go to the state capital in Harrisburg, get to see the kind of work my Mom did for the League, and meet the most amazing people." Among them was Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania.

There are other ways in which Sarah admires her mother's active involvement in the League. For example, "Not everyone's Mom gets to hush a member of the Bush family," she joked. Anne participated with other League members in the Geraldine Ferraro and George W. Bush vice presidential debate in 1984. It was unacceptable to clap during the debate and the members of the Bush family did not adhere to the rules. Anne reminded the famous political family that it was inappropriate. "What I learned from my mom, but did not realize it growing up, was that girls have a say in their future and they can advocate for themselves."

They say a great leader knows how to coach + offering important guidance without being aggressive in the way things ought to be done or offering an opinion forcefully. Karla Wight found this leadership skill in Anne profoundly helpful during the beginning days of re-establishing the LWVPA. In fact, as Marsha stated, Anne was essential to the "rebirth of the Portland Area League and the annual meeting that has occurred in the past three years would not happen without her help."

Marsha also stated, "I would bet money that Anne has served in most positions at the local, state, and national levels--except for the President of the LWV of the US - YET!"