Dorothy Swarts is a one-woman legislative crusade. At least, that’s how friends and colleagues describe her.

Over the past 10 years, Swarts’ name has become synonymous with the Parent Teacher Association. Just last month she received the PTA’s Outstanding Advocate Award for her endless legislative efforts.

Whether she’s lobbying child advocacy our encouraging citizens to vote, Swarts is out to spark action.

“She’s positive, upbeat and brings in other women. It’s remarkable,” said Mary Jo Bruckner, former PTA Council president. “She’s somebody we’d all like to be.”

The PTA mom, whose children attended Island Park Elementary alongside Swarts’, tallied off a number of contributions Swarts has made as a legislative representative.

“The remarkable thing is, she does all of this on her own,” Bruckner said. “For example, she started a legislative list service completely out of names she’d compiled.”

ThePTA council now has a list serve that’s Island-wide, thanks to Swarts’ initiative.

Terri Caditz, Mercer Island High School PTSA president, emphasized Swarts’ individual efforts.

“It’s always been hard to get someone to take on the PTA’s legislative role and Dorothy’s really been a pioneer in this area,” she said. “For many years, Dorothy was slugging it out mostly on her own — at Lakeridge and then at the high school — to advocate for kids.”

Since taking on greater responsibilities as PTSA president, Caditz has pushed Swarts’ efforts to the next level. Three years ago, she established a legislative team to represent Mercer Island.

“It’s a lot easier to get people involved now because it’s a group effort. We have a team to do what Dorothy was once doing by herself,” the president added.

For more than a decade now, Swarts has religiously attended Washington state legislative assemblies along with other events. She’s also an active member of the League of Women Voters.

“There’s nobody in our district that I know of who’s been so committed to attending all these events,” Caditz said. “And I’ve been here for a long time.”

Beneath her glowing energy, Swarts suffers from multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system. She was diagnosed in 1992, but only began experiencing serious symptoms in recent years. Yet the mother of four plows on with business nonetheless, attending yoga class and reading avidly as therapy.

“Cognitively, doctors are amazed that I can do what I can. You have to keep active or you’ll lose [the ability to do things],” Swarts said. “That’s why I ride a tricycle – to get around and for exercise. And I’m trying to learn more about the computer, although I have to ask my husband and daughter for help sometimes.”

Swarts admits that she has slowed down. After seeing four daughters through the Island’s school system, her life as a full-time PTA mom has come to a close. “But I’ll probably still do things with the PTA,” she added quickly. “And I’ll still be active with the League of Women Voters.”

A former hospice nurse in Seattle, Swarts became an active member of the women’s league in the late 1980s, where she pushed education and child advocacy. This experience served as a springboard for her future involvement with the Mercer Island PTA and Washington State Legislature.

Looking back, Swarts said she’s seen a lot of change within the legislative arena, although there’s still much work to be done.

“The Washington State Legislature still needs to define ‘education’ better,” she said, dropping a number of impassioned ideas on how to improve the system.

Clearly, education is a leading priority for Swarts — one she’s willing to devote hours of time and energy toward. It’s the reason she’s more than just a PTA member. It’s the reason she’s an Outstanding Advocate.

“We all felt so good recognizing Dorothy because she’s worked tirelessly in this [legislative] effort,” said Caditz.

Mercer Island School Board member Pat Braman, who presented the award to Swarts, painted a more descriptive picture: “Over the years, she has cajoled parents and citizens to be involved in the democratic process, often cycling to meetings with great effort even in the rain. She is always positive and constructive, even when her efforts fall on deaf ears.”

Asked how it felt to receive such acclaim, Swarts answered with a modest smile.

“It doesn’t change how I do things but it’s nice to get recognition.”