Arlington students spread kindness across the city

Eagle Creek Elementary students deliver messages of support

Six students from Arlington’s Eagle Creek Elementary passed out messages of kindness made earlier this year.

As part of the school’s Respect Team, students and their families handed out the warm messages that were made during the Great Kindness Challenge earlier this year.

Fifth grader Kyrah Meyer said it was a fun and interesting experience.

“It makes you happy on the inside to spread kindness,” Meyer said.

The Respect Team continues to adapt through the pandemic, planning a virtual holiday assembly and developing 2021 Great Kindness Challenge programming at the school as part of the worldwide event encouraging kind actions.

“The Respect Team noticed everyone was feeling heavy with emotions and wanted to do something positive,” said Colene Jablonski, Eagle Creek’s school counselor. “They wanted to give the community a lift; a reminder that kindness lives in each of us and that we need to reach out to each other. The participating students also lifted their spirits and brought their families together by doing kind acts as a family.”

Washington Oakes Retirement Communities 8th Annual Food Drive

Every year, Washington Oakes Retirement Communities cook Lisa Gilbert puts on a food drive in November and December for the Volunteers of America Everett Food Bank. The food drive is open for staff at Washington Oakes, residents and family members. They kept that tradition alive this year with a no-contact bin.

Last year, they donated 1,491 pounds of food. This year, they have already donated 1,270 pounds of food.

With this year looking a lot different, Gilbert reached out to larger companies such as Walmart and her dentist’s office for help. The Walmart in Marysville donated $1,000 worth of school supplies and her dentist donated 75 kits with floss, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.

Edmonds dentist honored with humanitarian award

The American Dental Association named Edmonds dentist Loree Bolin as its 2020 humanitarian award winner for improving the quality of life and oral health of individuals during the last 10 years.

In 2014, Bolin founded the Health and Hope Foundation, which supports impoverished women and children in Tanzania in breaking the cycle of poverty through healthcare, education and economic opportunity.

The foundation opened the Tumaini Tutor School, which provides free tutored instruction six days a week. Bolin also established the Women’s Business Program to offer business training and mentorship in product selection, hygiene, marketing and customer service and savings.

“Dentistry gave me skills and opportunity to provide care and help lift up ultra-poor families in the developing world,” Bolin said. “Serving as an international volunteer dentist beginning in 2007, I discovered that women and vulnerable, often orphaned, children are at the greatest risk.

“It seemed that the care I was delivering was merely scratching the surface and not addressing many of the underlying problems that placed this population at risk.”

The award includes a $10,000 donation to the Health and Hope Foundation and Bolin was honored during the American Dental Association’s Virtual Connect Conference in October.