Granville resident King honored with League of Women Voters community engagement award

Special to Granville Sentinel
·2 min read
Susan King, of Granville, received the newly-created Rita Kipp Community Engagement Award from the League of Women Voters of Licking County for her work as a community volunteer. Most notably, in February 2023 King facilitated the founding of Licking County Pollinator Pathway, which is dedicated to connecting natural corridors for pollinators and other wildlife to survive and thrive.

Susan King, of Granville, is the first recipient of the newly-created Rita Kipp Community Engagement Award from the League of Women Voters of Licking County. Candidates were nominated based on a criterion of having made a significant contribution in Licking County through non-partisan advocacy, community organizing, and/or civic engagement.

Cookie Sunkle nominated King and described her as a "tireless volunteer" in the Licking County community. Most notably, in February 2023 King facilitated the founding of the county-wide organization Licking County Pollinator Pathway, which is dedicated to connecting natural corridors for pollinators and other wildlife to survive and thrive.

With King’s leadership, Licking County joined dozens of other Pollinator Pathway communities across the country to focus on creating and connecting continuous corridors of natural areas and promote native plant gardens to support bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife. As someone deeply committed to the natural environment, King worked to bring researcher Doug Tallamy to Denison and to Granville last winter. She has also led workshops on winter sowing and other garden processes, has given numerous presentations on native plants at various local events, and organized a native plant sale at the Granville Farmer’s Market this fall. Cookie wrote that Susan has been "working to promote understanding of the value of planting native plants to improve and save our environment. Her love of gardening with native plants is contagious and serves as an inspiration to those of us just getting started on this journey."

To learn more about Licking County Pollinator Pathway and see the website designed by King, go to https://www.lickingpollinatorpathway.org.

The Rita Kipp Community Engagement Award is presented annually by the League of Women Voters of Licking County. Kipp was part of a group that revived the local chapter of the nonpartisan political organization in 2017 and served as its president from 2018 until her retirement in April.

The League of Women Voters encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Information submitted by League of Women Voters of Licking County.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville resident receives League of Women Voters engagement award