March General Membership Meeting in Everett
LWVSC partnered with Evergreen Goodwill and another organization, Common Power, to do four days of intense voter registration in the Goodwill stores around September’s annual National Voter Registration Day. That led to Goodwill’s nomination for the League’s recently-awarded Democracy in Action Award. The Children’s Committee invited the Goodwill representative to speak at the meeting held on March 14th at the Everett Main Library.
We think of Goodwill as hiring workers at extremely low wages and as merely employers who operate thrift stores. Guess what? Wrong! Scott Rice, Community Partnership Manager for Goodwill, informed us otherwise! Goodwill pays a fair wage to their employees—and the job training and education programs offered to people in the community are all completely free. Their website states: “Your donations and purchases in our stores help fund our free job-training classes and workshops, which help put those in need on a path to self-sufficiency and success. Because jobs change lives!”
Scott told us that Evergreen Goodwill has 24 stores, 2000 employees, and has served 2705 students in Snohomish, King, Kitsap, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties. And they are growing.
He was also “excited to put the spotlight on our brand new Digital Equity Bus, Evergreen Goodwill’s first high-tech mobile classroom. The bus will bring our Job Training and Education (JTE) computer courses, workforce development programs, and wraparound support services directly to rural and historically under-resourced communities.”
We hope to continue our Voter Services partnership with Goodwill. And Scott Rice has offered us a tour of the Everett Goodwill, which could include the use of their meeting room for one of our general membership meetings next fall!
Tapas & Topics March Meeting
More than a dozen League members met at Blazing Onion at Alderwood Mall to catch up. We discussed the information that we learned about Goodwill, gave everyone a copy of the 2024 Guide to your Elected Officials, and enjoyed some good food together.
April General Membership Meeting At Lynnwood Library
On Thursday, April 18, at 11:00 A.M. at our final general membership meeting of this fiscal year, Kate Lunceford, a past president of LWVSC and the newest member of the LWVWA Lobby Team, will be our speaker. Kate will not only bring us up to speed on issues she was lobbying for in Olympia, but also explain how the Snohomish County Council can be encouraged to support protection of mature forests and how the Urban Tree Canopy Policy will move through the Comprehensive Plan Update.
The Lynnwood Library is at 19200 – 44th Ave. W. Registration is not required, but does help us know how to set up the room and have your name badge handy!
Tapas & Topics April Meeting
On April 25th the evening Tapas & Topics meeting will begin at 5:00 P.M. at the Ram Restaurant & Brewery at 10520 Quil Ceda Blvd. in Tulalip near the Seattle Outlet Mall. Because this is the last opportunity for an evening meeting until fall, we hope members from all over the county will join us for this short recap of all we heard from Kate Lunceford at the previous meeting. And of course, good pub food and camaraderie with many League members from the north regions of Snohomish County is a draw! Everyone buys their own food and drink.