Spring Cleaning Can Support Families!

Moving into a new home is a prideful accomplishment for the families who come to First Place!

We have some great news today – a high number of our families have been moving into transitional housing from shelters or shared housing. This is definitely a reason to celebrate!

Along with these great successes, First Place currently has a great need for household items to help these families turn an empty apartment into their home. We are looking for new and gently used household items.

If you’ve been spring cleaning, some of these items may be in your donate pile:

• Kitchen items such as: plates, bowls, silverware, mugs, pots & pans, baking pans, colanders, cutting boards, serving utensils—and anything you find is essential in the kitchen!
• Dish towels, bath towels, washcloths and laundry detergent
• Pillows, comforters, blankets and sheet sets
• Lamps with lightbulbs
• Plastic Hangers

We currently are not able to accept furniture donations to pass on to families. We would like to encourage donation of gift certificates to places parents can purchase furniture and other household items. Gift certificates starting at $50 for these stores are greatly appreciated: Goodwill, Ikea, Value village, Target, JC Penney, and Fred Meyer.

More helpful ideas:

• Purchase some of these items on Amazon.com and have them shipped directly to First Place. When you use the Amazon School Rewards link here, a percentage of your order is donated back to First Place.
• Forward this blog to your friends and neighbors, or post it in your office break room.
• Donate the proceeds of your spring garage sale to First Place.
• Link to this blog from your Facebook page. Challenge your friends to get involved.
• Ask your work department to each pick something off this list to donate.

For more information or to set up a time to deliver a donation contact Lisa Foss at (206) 323 6715.

First Place Graduate makes National Headlines

Breaking News!

First Place graduate, 11-year-old Marcelas Owens, has been advocating for health care in honor of his mother since he lost her in 2007. In the past year, Senator Patty Murray has been telling his story to advocate for better healthcare and has shared his story twice in front of President Obama.
His story is now being heard and seen by thousands of individuals through news coverage on MSNBC and CBS Evening News.

Today, March 10, is an important day for Marcelas as he speaks in Washington DC in front of Congress - it is also his eleventh birthday.

Read local stories on Marcelas: KING5, Q13 Fox, Seattle Times.

Hear Marcelas' story in person!

Marcelas will be speaking at our Annual Fundraising Breakfast on Wednesday, April 28, 2010.

RSVP today to hear this inspirational young man share more of his experiences and how First Place was a catalyst for his advocacy.

Learn more about the Annual Fundraising Breakfast.Marcelas Owens (left) with Tod Leiweke (right) at the 2009 Breakfast.

Join us at our Virtual Table

This morning, a very special event is happening for First Place. Our Annual Fundraising Breakfast. Just in case you weren't there with us, we wanted to include you at our virtual table.

Here are the highlights of today's program:

We're 20 year old!

This year marks our 20th serving children and families. Our successes just keep on growing.

Most recently, First Place was able to move a mother and her two children from living in a van to living in a two bedroom apartment in First Place transitional housing!

First Place serves over 1,000 individuals each year - and we celebrate each new success as if it is our first.

First Place graduate Marcelus will now share his story with you about how he came to First Place.

Listen to a story aired on KUOW last summer (Real Audio). Click here for additional listening options.



Current First Place student Ifrah has also written a speech to share with us today.

"When I first came to First Place. I lived in a shelter. I was scared for no reason at all. In my second year I was in foster care for 15 days because my mom was ill. The staff members and kids were really caring because they knew what I was going through.

I have 3 brothers and 3 sisters and we were all seperated because noone wanted to take care of 7 kids except my mom. I was worried because I did not see them at school."

Read her entire speech here.

And now, we would like to ask you to make a gift to First Place in honor of Marcelus, Ifrah, and of all the children and families touched by our program. All gifts given will count toward our event goal.

Give online through Network for Good.

Download the event pledge card and send by mail (pdf).

We encourage you to invite people to sit at your virtual table by fowarding this email to your friends, family and colleagues who you know will be touched by the stories shared here.

Our warmest appreciation for your support.

Dr. Doreen Cato, Executive Director

Success Story: Divided Family Comes Home

Within the walls of First Place, and in the lives of the families we touch, successes happen every day. As often as we can, First Place will share these successes with you. This is what we would like to share today.

In 2007 First Place began our Family Unification Program to assist incarcerated mothers rebuild their lives and regain their children. For mother of two Jalea* this program came just at the right time.

In January 2008 Jalea was rejoining society without any means to gain housing, employment or reuniting with her two children in foster-care. Stable housing and stable employment are two key components of being able to reunite with children who have been displaced during incarceration.

Jalea's first step to getting her children back was calling First Place.

“Jalea had months of work ahead of her to meet her requirements to the court system and the department of social and health services,” said Ms. Charlene Bowen, a case manager at First Place. “She also had personal goals of attending classes to achieve her GED and learning how to prepare a better life for her children.”

After working with First Place staff for over 6 months to attend all her meetings, study for her tests and gain housing in a First Place facility Jalea become a mother again when her 18-month-old son came home.

“Now over a year after beginning with our Family Unification Program Jalea is one week away from attaining her GED and is preparing for her next stage as a student and a mother,” said Ms. Charlene. Her second child, a 4-year-old daughter is coming home to her in the beginning of March.

* for privacy sake client names have been changed.

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Success Story: Proud Parent Says Thank You

Within the walls of First Place, and in the lives of the families we touch, successes happen every day. As often as we can, First Place will share these successes with you. This is what we would like to share today.

First Place recently received the following note from Dara, a mother whose daughter graduated out of our program this past year.

"As a mother of a former student of First Place I am proud to let you know that my daughter became a Rainier Scholar Nominee. Her teacher told me in the parent teacher conference that out of 31 students in her class my daughter is top 2. The teacher also told me that my daughter shows intellectual curiosity and scores above average on all her work in class.

I believe that my daughter got the nurturing and the life skills that she needed to survive in the public school from First Place staff.

I want to thank you all personally on how much of an impact you guys have in all our lives. You gave my daughter something that any other school would never think of doing."

Dara, pictured with her daughter, is currently employed full-time at First Place and continues to provide leadership and guidance to struggling families.

As Dara celebrates with her family First Place is celebrating their hard work in breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness. Dara and her family were very involved with First Place while receiving services. Her and her husband chaired the Parent Advisory Council, Dara went down to Olympia with First Place every year to lobby for children rights and she truly became a mentor to her peers who were experiencing struggles with homelessness and poverty.

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