Published December 2001

Biz, social service partnerships honored

By Kimberly Hilden
Herald Business Journal Assistant Editor

“None of us get it done without working together. Nobody can go it alone.”

Those were the words of Joni Earl, and that was the message of the Partnership Forum, sponsored in part by the Human Services Council of Snohomish County and held at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in Everett.

Earl, Executive Director of Sound Transit, was the keynote speaker at the 16th annual event that recognizes partnerships among businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Winners announced at the Nov. 1 event were:

• Business Partnership Award — Small Business Category: The Maid Brigade franchise owned by Glen and Kim Singleton for its partnership with Volunteer Chore Services, a program managed by Catholic Community Services. The Singletons clean one home each week for clients of Volunteer Chore Services at no charge to those clients, who often are low-income senior citizens or the disabled.
• Business Partnership Award — Medium Business Category: CityBank, in conjunction with Lynnwood Auto Wrecking, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Snohomish County Developmental Disabilities, for its partnership with Work Opportunities. The bank contributed $10,000 to Work Opportunities to be used as seed money for a business loan fund for individuals with developmental disabilities.
• Business Partnership Award — Large Business Category: Solectron Washington for its work with Everett Community College and the Immigrant and Refugee Forum in establishing Pre-Employment Training and Work Place Basics programs.
• Collaboration Award: Community Leveraging Team, made up of a number of Snohomish County city governments, human-services agencies, food banks, fire departments, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and others, for holding National Night Out Against Crime events in six communities, including Darrington, Lynnwood, south Everett, Stanwood, Lake Stevens and Sky Valley.
• Collaboration Award: Julia V. Morris Centennial Garden, which included support from the city of Monroe, the East County Senior Center, the Monroe Boys & Girls Club, the Sky Valley Food Bank, the WSU Cooperative Extension of Snohomish County and numerous service clubs, church groups and community members. The collaboration turned a vacant lot into a food-bank garden that provides food for the Sky Valley Food Bank and enjoyment for the community at large.

The partnerships that garnered these honors “just touch our hearts,” Earl said.

And with the economy slowing and budgets tightening across the state, such partnerships are going to be crucial as human-services groups feel the impact, County Executive Bob Drewel said.

“One person can make a difference, and when you find the other one person who can make a difference and you become partners, then we’re going to get through this together,” he said.

Tim Nowlis of the Boeing Co. and Jill McKinnie of Congressman Rick Larsen’s office were event co-chairs and emcees. Nancy Weis, President of the Human Services Council of Snohomish County, presided over the award ceremony.

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