Retired State Senator Patsy Ticer
The Campagna Center is pleased to announce that Senator Patsy Ticer will serve as the Grand Marshal for The Campagna Center’s 41st Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Parade. The Parade—presented by The Campagna Center, the St. Andrew’s Society, the City of Alexandria, and in Partnership with The Scottish Government—will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 at 11:00 AM in Old Town Alexandria.
It is an honor to serve as Grand Marshal for The Campagna Center’s Scottish Christmas Walk Parade, the event, which annually launches Alexandria’s Christmas season, said Ticer. ―It is a special pleasure for me, as a longtime admirer and sometimes participant in an organization which has served Alexandria’s families and children so well since the days when it was still the Alexandria Y, and I was a young mother. The Campagna Center has personified the good works and caring attitude Alexandrians have always had toward one another. It is a very important part of the fabric of our wonderful city.‖
As Grand Marshal, Ticer will lead more than 120 Scottish Clans, pipe and drum bands, Scottish dancers, re-enactment groups, canine marchers, local dignitaries and, of course, Santa Claus, through the streets of Old Town. The Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend launches Alexandria’s holiday season with events to celebrate and honor Alexandria’s Scottish founders.
The Campagna Center is honored to welcome Senator Patricia Ticer as the Grand Marshal of our 41th Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Parade, said Campagna Center President and CEO Dr. Tammy L. Mann
The Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend celebrates Alexandria’s rich Scottish heritage, and we are delighted to have Senator Ticer, a life-long Alexandrian and dedicated advocate for issues affecting children and families, leading the parade. This is a wonderful way to honor all of those working to better our communities by coming together to participate in this celebrated Alexandria tradition.‖
About the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend
Consistently ranked by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the Top 20 Events in the South, each year the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend draws as many as 30,000 participants and families to the City of Alexandria. Over the years, the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend has grown from a small, informal parade to an entire weekend filled with events and festivities. Today, in addition to the Scottish Walk Parade, weekend events include The Taste of Scotland, an evening of top-shelf whiskeys and Scottish fare, a Christmas Marketplace for holiday gifts, a heather and greens sale, the Holiday Designer Tour of Homes, and Deck the Halls with Santa Children’s Party. The Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend is the largest fundraising activity for The Campagna Center. To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit www.ScottishChristmasWalk.com.
About Senator Patricia Ticer
Among her most important work for children and families during her time on Alexandria City Council and as the first woman to serve as Mayor of Alexandria in 1991, was her role in establishing an Office of Early Childhood Programs in Alexandria with extensive programs for at- risk children. Also during her service on the City Council, she pushed for the establishment of Alexandria's Early Childhood Development Commission and served on the Virginia Governor's Council on Child Day Care and Early Childhood Programs, where she was Vice Chair.
During her tenure as State Senator, her bill requiring hearing tests for all newborn infants has become law. A recent study was conducted to require health insurance companies to provide hearing aids to children under the age of five as a part of standard health care benefits and Senator Ticer is currently pursuing approval for this mandate.
In addition to her service in the state legislature since 1996, she has served the metropolitan area and the Commonwealth in a variety of ways. She was a member of the Northern Virginia Planning District Commission, which she chaired from 1985 to 1987. She also chaired the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in 1994 and was honored to receive the prestigious Scull Award in 1996. Patsy served as a member of Virginia's Transportation Coordinating Council and Chair of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission as well as Chairman of the Washington Metropolitan Area's Transportation Planning Board. She has recently retired as a Commissioner with the Commission for the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies where she served for nine years. She was twice Chairman of the United Way Campaign, and President of the National Association of Regional Councils from 1995-1996.
As a resident of Alexandria for more than fifty-five years, Patsy's prior activities have included the boards of four PTA's; former President of The TWIG, the Alexandria Hospital Women's Auxiliary; Treasurer of Residential Youth Services; nine years of service including one as Senior Warden with the vestry of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and President of FISH. She is a graduate of George Washington High School in Alexandria and Sweet Briar College. Her late husband, Jack Ticer, was also a former city Councilman himself. Together they have four adult children, four grandsons and one granddaughter.
About The Campagna Center
The Campagna Center is proud to be a leading children’s organization in Alexandria, Virginia, caring for more than 1,700 children daily. Since 1945, The Campagna Center has been a beacon of hope and a catalyst for community involvement. Today it operates high-quality programs that support children in Alexandria by providing services that allow them to arrive at school ready to learn and ensure they are academically successful at each grade level. For more information, visit www.campagnacenter.org.