Barton honors this commitment regularly by training all the Notaries for her employer, which entails traveling to other branches of her bank. “I try to instill in my students a sense of responsibility. I have an ‘Open Door’ policy and am always willing to offer advice or assistance.”

Responsibility is a code that also guides her personal life. She is a Board Member and volunteer for the Flathead County Food Bank, and during the holidays serves as a Salvation Army “bell-ringer.” Barton helps raise funds for the local museum, the Conrad Mansion, and was part of the “Big Sister, Big Brother” lunch hour mentorship program for grade school students. “I am committed to helping others, in my profession and in my personal life.”

Besides her notarial training and certifications, she is an expert in handwriting analysis and has personally prevented a number of fraudulent notarizations by recognizing that the IDs were false. “Every day as a Notary, you must watch out for and prevent fraud. It’s a critical part of our job,” she says. Boaman also does background searches for her own business and has discovered and reported unethical behavior.

In her community she is referred to as the “Resource Queen” and if someone has a need, she finds a solution. She considers her involvement with MetroRelief.org - a non-profit that runs a food bank and provides other free services to the homeless and jobless - as one of her most valuable personal contributions. Her core belief is that everyone should play to their strengths and use them to help others.

Education and integrity are abiding principles in his professional and personal life. He recently became the 7th “E-Notary” in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is an advocate for training and education for new and veteran Notaries.

Cole takes his commitment to serve those in need very seriously, notarizing documents at no charge for hospice patients, the homeless, and members of the clergy. He assists with the Arlington County and Alexandria Medical Reserve Corps and donates “gallons” of plasma and platelets through the American Red Cross to help cancer patients. He also volunteers with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum – the result of world travel which confirmed his belief that “basic human rights should be extended to every citizen of the world.”

De Luna is always accessible to her peers. “If they have a question I can’t answer, I check with the NNA and then I learn something new myself.” Concerned that Notaries have no formal means of identifying themselves, she has a future goal in mind ― working to develop a standardized ID card for Notaries that would bear the Notary’s picture, name, details of the commission, and professional affiliations.

In spite of her busy professional life, she finds time to volunteer in countless USA Track and Field events, and helped organize the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 50 km Race Walk. She owns registered service animals which she takes to senior homes and centers for pet therapy, and helps fundraise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Challenged Athletes Foundation, demonstrating that Notaries can serve their community in any number of ways.

Fletcher helps “raise the bar” by mentoring other Notaries and pursuing statutory revisions. Her online survey of 350 colleagues uncovered some basic changes that would benefit Arizona Notaries – requirements for a journal thumbprint and certified Notary training, and an increase in the fee schedule. She’s presented the findings to state legislators for consideration. Fletcher also serves as an NNA ambassador and encourages new Notaries to join the NNA for professional growth.

Fletcher’s experience with the elderly proved beneficial. Today she serves that community by providing notarizations at adult facilities, often at no charge, and also helps seniors apply for low income dental work, meals on wheels, Social Security Disability, or drives them to appointments. She is a member of the Paseo Verde Church’s Women’s Ministry which reaches out to women on the White River Indian Reservation, and helps with a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.