WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia has a long and proud tradition of producing and developing many talented and devoted leaders and public servants, including eight United States Presidents who have called Virginia home; and,

WHEREAS, this tradition of outstanding public service is advanced every day by over 712,000 federal, state, and local public servants who work diligently to improve the quality of life for all Virginians; and,

WHEREAS, Virginia State employees dedicate their time, talent, and energy to serving our Commonwealth as health care providers, educators, correctional and law enforcement officers, park rangers, administrative support, and many other roles throughout various government agencies; and,

WHEREAS, public servants in the Commonwealth help to educate our children, care for victims of crimes, administer justice, rehabilitate and counsel people in need, preserve public safety and the health of our citizens, maintain our roads and bridges, schools, and other infrastructure, protect citizen’s rights and handle a multitude of other essential duties entrusted to them by the public; and,

WHEREAS, dedicated Virginia State employees strive daily to perform their jobs with professionalism and integrity to make government services more accessible and responsive to the needs of the citizens of our Commonwealth; and,

WHEREAS, many of Virginia’s public servants volunteer in their communities and spend much of their free time participating in volunteer work and civic service projects; and,

WHEREAS, the strength and courage that our state workforce exhibited during the global pandemic is recognized and deeply valued from our front line to our behind-the-scenes workers; and,

WHEREAS, it is important to recognize and salute the outstanding efforts made each and every year by dedicated public servants throughout the Commonwealth;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize May 1-7, 2022 as PUBLIC SERVICE WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.