Unsung Hero: Volunteer Donna Shattuck

First Place long-time volunteer Donna Shattuck is featured in the Summer 2009 RSVP Newsletter: Experience in Action. You can find the article on page 5.

Donna, our most sincerest thank you's for the time you invest in the students at First Place!
RSVP stands for Retired & Senior Volunteer Program. RSVP encourages people 55 and older to volunteer in their community. First Place currently has two volunteers through the Solid Ground RSVP Program.

You can learn more about RSVP on the Solid Ground website. Learn more about volunteering at First Place here.

Unsung Hero: Kirkland Junior Youth Group

A huge Thank You to Kirkland Junior Youth Group who came down to First Place with a donation of $330 and for a tour of the building! We appreciate their support of our programs and for their future support as summer volunteers.

Some of the youth are pictured here with Chris Cooper, Director of Marketing and Development at First Place.

We were reminded of this quote:

"A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world."

--Mohammed

Learn more about Tours and Volunteering on our website.

Seattle Channel Features First Place Panel Discussion

On April 29, 2009, immediately following the First Place Annual Fundraising Breakfast, we hosted a panel discussion featuring local individuals and businesses making big change toward ending homelessness.

The panel featured:

• Bill Block, King County Committee to End Homelessness Project Director
• Tod Leiweke, CEO of Vulcan Sports and Entertainment
• Thach Nguyen, Realtor, Developer and Philanthropist
• James Sun, CEO & Founder of Zoodango.com, Finalist on NBC's "The Apprentice"
• Evelyn Brown, Owner of Xazz Salon and community volunteer
  
• Anne Keeney, Executive Director of Seattle Jobs Initiative
• Moderated by Linda Byron, KING 5 News
  

We are excited to share with you that the Seattle Channel filmed the discussion as part of its Town Square program. Watch it online right now, or on TV the following dates and times:

Seattle Channel 21:

Thursday, May 14, 2009	5:00 p.m.
Monday, May 18, 2009	6:00 a.m.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009	2:30 a.m.
Thursday, May 21, 2009	4:30 p.m.

First Place hosted this panel as way to further engage individual and businesses in getting involved in ending homelessness. We hope when you watch this, you will be inspired to find a way to get your business or organization involved in social change.

Panel attendees received a packet of information to take home with them, which included facts on homelessness, a 'Take Action' sheet, a copy of the Washington State Report Card on Family Homelessness and a few other informational papers. If you are interested in a copy of this packet, contact Chris Cooper, Director of Marketing and Development at 206-323-6715 ext. 1301.

Over the next few weeks we want to feature a few companies on our blog that do some creative fundraising for First Place. First on our list to share is Car Toys.

Beat the CFO! The employees of Car Toys have a long-standing tradition of supporting the many vital programs of First Place. Every fall Car Toys employees break out of the office for their annual stress reliever "beat the CFO". For a small donation to First Place employees compete against the CFO in a high-tech virtual golf game, or in years past have taken their chance at hitting a target to dunk the CFO in a less than warm pool. Car Toys CFO Robert Jensen continues to take his dedication to ending family homelessness to a new level. “Keep up the great work,” Jensen tells us, “and we will keep coming up with other ways to help.”

Thank you to the Seattle Channel, our panelists and companies like Car Toys!

Unsung Hero: Children's Alliance

Heroes are often thought of as having super-human powers. At First Place our heroes have super-human hearts. Some of them we have never met and some of them walk through our front doors every day. We want to share with you who our heroes are and the impact they have in the lives our children and families.

Our hero today is the Children’s Alliance. In addition to their work ensuring that laws, policies and programs work for kids, the Children’s Alliance is also the organizing force behind Have A Heart For Kids Day. Friday, February 27th, the annual Have A Heart For Kids Day will bring First Place students, parents and staff in partnership with over 500 child advocates from across Washington State to develop advocacy skills, learn about current laws supporting children and showcase their knowledge in meetings with legislators.

First Place has been a member organization of Children’s Alliance since 1989.

At the 2008 Have A Heart For Kids Day First Place teamed up with students from Tulalip Elementary school for a full day of advocacy and a tour of the Capital. Here are some photos from last year.

Above: Students had an opportunity to meet Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen and ask questions. Below: After lunch, Senator Claudia Kauffman addressed First Place and Tulalip Elementary students answering questions and explaining the importance of getting involved in advocacy and how it can make a difference to the community.
Below: From left to right Dr. Doreen Cato, Executive Director of First Place, Representative Eric Pettigrew and former First Place Board President Dawn Mason.

Check back next week for a full report on this year's Have A Heart For Kids Day. Thank you Children’s Alliance.

Unsung Hero: Shoes that Fit

Heroes are often thought of as having super-human powers. At First Place our heroes have super-human hearts. Some of them we have never met and some of them walk through our front doors every day. We want to share with you who our heroes are and the impact they have in the lives our children and families.

Our hero today is Shoes That Fit. For years this organization has been donating one brand new pair of shoes to every child who attends First Place.

Once the shoes are delivered, it's time for First Place Clothing Bank volunteers Lori and Lisa to start working with the students to find the right fit for them.

One student from the Kindergarten class thought his shoes were too big when he tried them on. Lisa asked "Where are they too big?" And the student replied, "Right here in this room."

Here are some pictures of students getting their new shoes.