The LONGEST HELD tradition for the Walla Walla Sweets Roller Girls, according to team co-captain Vicki “Lois Slay’n” Hillhouse Miller, is taking gifts to the YWCA each year.
Launched in 2009, both for the sport of roller derby and as a nonprofit to raise awareness and funds for other organizations, the Roller Girls were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We haven’t had a bout in our town since late 2019,” Vicki said. But despite closures, they were able to maintain YWCA gift deliveries.
“The YWCA aligns with our mission of empowering women. That empowerment, for us,” Vicki said, “can come through a variety of channels.” These include the vulnerability of a challenging new workout, getting up without shame after a fall, and community building.
They look for gifts that are small but meaningful, said Vicki. “We ask our participants to think of something that would make them feel pampered, seen or cared for. Something they might want for themselves if they were in a space that wasn’t their own and facing a new future.”
Over the last year the Roller Girls have been actively rebuilding the team and hope to begin their first home season since 2019 soon.
PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Butner