United Way of Snohomish County recently received a $20,000 grant from Bank of America to support United Way’s free tax preparation sites for low-income residents of the county.
United Way’s pilot tax site at the Boys &Girls Club in north Everett served 500 clients with a total of $767,000 in tax refunds.
The potential to increase families’ abilities to afford basic needs prompted United Way to launch the tax program, which came out of a study seeking long-term solutions to hunger and food insecurity, United Way staff said.
United Way hopes to raise enough financial support to expand its free tax preparation program in 2008.
Builders honored for volunteer work
Volunteers at Everett-based builders Barclays North and Kirtley-Cole Associates and the Master Builders Care Foundation, a philanthropic arm of the local homebuilders association, were honored recently at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in San Francisco for work helping homeless families and teenagers in Snohomish County.
Three of four Gold Nugget Awards made by the conference in the “Building Industry Community Spirit” category went to the local organizations.
Barclays North won for its work on a new 3,600-square-foot facility in Arlington built for the nonprofit organization Cocoon House. Based in Everett, Cocoon House meets the needs of homeless teenagers. Barclays North and the 30 subcontractors and vendors who worked on it donated 71 percent of the cost of the structure, a company spokesman said.
Kirtley-Cole Associates won for its work for Housing Hope’s Winters Creek Village in Sultan. The new 13,000-square-foot, 11-unit facility provides low-income housing for people who have been homeless. About $300,000 in labor and materials was donated by Kirtley-Cole and other businesses.
Master Builders Care Foundation works with local nonprofit groups to identify building needs, then matches the project with builders and subcontractors who will to donate labor and materials to build it. Since 2002, Care Foundation projects have donated more than $5 million in contributions to local nonprofits that serve the homeless.
For more information on the work of the Master Builders Care Foundation, contact Jay Schupack at 425-460-8229 or jschupack@mbaks.com.
Mukilteo YMCA breaks ground
More than 500 people came out to celebrate as the Mukilteo Family YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of Snohomish County, broke ground July 11 on its 14,000-square-foot facility expansion.
The expansion includes larger spaces for its teen and technology center, senior center, community room and multi-purpose room, along with a new cardiovascular and youth exercise room and increased Child Watch space.
The Mukilteo Family YMCA was chartered in 1993, opened a 42,000-square-foot facility in 2000 and in 2004 added a skate park to serve more teenagers. About 14,000 members are served by the Mukilteo YMCA, and the expansion should allow the YMCA to serve an additional 4,000 members.
Paulette Hunter, Mukilteo YMCA board chairman, said the organization raised nearly $8 million during its capital campaign. For more information, call 425-493-9622.
Explorers attend national convention
Snohomish Fire and Rescue Explorer Post 444 returned recently from the Illinois Fire Service Institute where members attended the National Fire Exploring and Emergency Services Conference.
The Explorer Scouts participated in extensive hands-on fire service workshops and competed against other posts from around the country to show off their firefighting skills. Nearly 600 Explorers attended the national conference.
Several local Explorer volunteers came back with awards.
Jeremy Beals earned first place with a time of 1:47 in a competition in which he had to don his bunker gear and breathing apparatus and meet safety checks.
C.J. Erickson earned first place with a time of 28.5 seconds for meeting all safety checks and setting up a wildland fire shelter, used to protect a firefighter if he becomes caught in a forest fire. Fellow Post 444 Explorer Yegor Bizyayev earned third place for wildland shelter deployment.
Explorer Post 444 is sponsored by Snohomish County Fire District 4. Members are between the ages of 14 and 21, and both males and females can join. The post is part of the Learning for Life Program sponsored through Boy Scouts of America.
Many of the 100 veterans of the Post 444 Explorer program have gone on to become volunteer or paid firefighters, nurses, emergency room technicians and military firefighters.
The program stresses community service and leadership skills. Post 444 estimates it has performed more than $10,000 worth of community service.
Adults volunteering to help with the program include Heide Savidge, Rob Orton, Eric Melander and Craig Erickson.
Monroe senior center celebrates new bus
The East County Senior Center in Monroe recently celebrated the arrival of its new $54,000 bus.
On hand for the event July 13 were many members of the center, as well as Monroe Mayor Donnetta Walser, Police Chief Tim Quenzer, Chamber of Commerce director Neil Watkins and state Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe.
The center had been without a bus for four months. During part of that time, the Monroe Boys &Girls Club had allowed the use of its van for the center’s transportation program.
Funding for the van came from a $40,000 Boeing Employee Community Fund grant, a $1,500 grant from Coastal Community Bank and a grant of $500 from Safeway. The balance was raised through donations from senior center members and Monroe residents, as well as a withdrawal from senior center reserve funds.
The new bus comes complete with a wheelchair lift and runs 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Elks honor parents of Marine killed in action
Everett Elks Club 479 recently presented its Elks Medal of Valor to Brian and Shellie Starr of Snohomish, the parents of the late Marine Cpl. Jeffrey B. Starr, who died May 30, 2005, while serving in Iraq.
Elks Carl Frisk and Linda Averill presented the medal.
Arts council presents annual juried show
The Arts Council of Snohomish County presents its 16th annual juried art show through Aug. 16 at 1507 Wall St., Everett.
Prize winners include Rick Cash of Marysville, grand prize; Joan Blacker, Everett, two-dimensional category, first prize; Darryl Brackett, Everett, two-dimensional, second prize; Tracy Fraker, Edmonds, two-dimensional, third prize; Donna Perugini, Sedro-Woolley, three-dimensional category, first prize; Merrilee Moore, three-dimensional, second prize; Robert Mitchell, Tulalip, three-dimensional, third prize. Honorable mentions went to Joan Enslin of Camano Island, Helen Feeney of Marysville, Melissa Holzinger of Arlington, Heidi Klippert Lindberg of Eastsound, Judy Ryan of Mountlake Terrace, N. Raine Terhune of Arlington and Carey Waterworth of Silvana.
Fourth of July parade winners to be honored
The Everett Jaycees Community Fourth of July Parade trophy winners are scheduled to be honored at 7 tonight at the Flying Pig restaurant, 2929 Colby Ave., Everett.
Trophy winners, from 80 entries in the parade, include:
Tulalip Resort Casino, first, floats; Lake Stevens Aquafest, second, floats; Downtown Dennis Real Estate Band, bands, fist; Tacoma Scots Bagpipe Band, bands, second; Vietnam Era River Patrol Boat, military category, first; Blue Star Mothers of Washington, military, second; Girl Scouts Love the Great Outdoors, community service, first; Burned Child Recovery Foundation, community service, second; Clan Heather Dancers, first dance-drill team; Everett Cadets, dance-drill team, second; American Towing, local business category, first; The Herald, local business, second; Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 18, patriotic category, first; Evergreen Troop Support Group, patriotic, second; Model T Ford, Larry Garner, Judges’ Choice; Lake City Western Vigilantes, clown category, first; Washington Calvary Association 1st U.S. Regiment, animal category, first; Puget Sound Cruisers, vehicles, first; Sky Valley Antique Tractor Club, vehicles, second; Everett Sail and Power Squadron, specialty category, first; Jet City Roller Girls, specialty, second; Delta Neighborhood, neighborhood category, first.
Visitor center staff tour Mukilteo sites
Volunteers help staff the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce office and Regional Visitor Information Center.
The award-winning Regional Visitor Information Center assists more than 43,000 walk-in visitors and responds to more than 561,000 inquiries a year.
To reward the volunteers who meet and greet visitors, the chamber recently took the group on a trip to Mukilteo to familiarize them with the area. There they had a look at tourist opportunities such as the Mukilteo Lighthouse, the Diamond Knot Brewery, hotels and restaurants and a walking tour of old downtown Mukilteo.
To volunteer at the center or to host a similar tour for visitor center volunteers or provide goods or services for a volunteer appreciation day, call the chamber office at 360-659-7700.
Food bank marks Christmas early
Sky Valley Food Bank in Monroe celebrated Christmas in July last week when the food bank gave away extra goodies.
During the winter holidays, Sky Valley Food Bank’s Precious Packages program gives away toys, clothing, stockings and more to low-income families and children.
The food bank’s toy room coordinator, Marge Ferrel, and other volunteers rounded up similar items and, with leftover wrapping and bows, gave them away to surprised and appreciative clients.
For more information on the food bank and its programs, call 360-794-7959.
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