Looking for some motivation for your New Year’s resolution list? Snohomish County is full of people who accomplished quite a bit this year. Their achievements are proof it’s not about copying your goals onto paper. It’s about taking action.
If it’s that start-with-nothing initiative you want, talk to Hannah Elledge, 10, and Jessica Olsen, 9. The two Monroe girls started and finished separate projects to help the environment and hungry people in our community. Hannah gathered 72 signatures on a petition to get recycling in her area. Jessica spent a year-and-a-half collecting coins and dollars to total $300. She gave the money to the Sky Valley Food Bank.
Turning tragedy into something good can be on ongoing effort. The Jubie family of Marysville and Jason Hunter of Everett have done just that.
In December 2000 Gail Jubie was murdered in her Marysville home. A couple of months ago her family organized a massive yard sale and raised more than $9,000 in her memory for the local food bank. Jason Hunter was paralyzed from the waist down in October 2001 following a shooting in Everett that is still unsolved. He says he doesn’t need people feeling sorry for him and he proved it this fall by completing the New York City Marathon in his sleek wheelchair.
Think you might want to get involved in politics this year? You don’t have to run for office. Brennan Deveraux, 15, was sworn in as an unofficial Sultan City Council member. If you don’t mind putting in a lot of time, you could get involved in starting a petition. A group in Marysville tried to change the city’s form of government from mayor to manager. The issue was voted down, but the key players said they learned a lot.
Being economically daring or creative in these tough times might seem like too much to take on, but sometimes that’s exactly what is needed. Local farmers are learning how to reinvent themselves with corn mazes and pumpkin patches. And north county leaders held an economic summit to discuss ways to improve the business climate by working together.
In each case, people came up with ideas based on the needs around them or their circumstances. That’s not a bad place to start.
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