RASKC kittens are a big hit in Chinook
Five kittens from Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) were welcomed with open arms in the Chinook building on Tuesday, December 5. The kittens were part of a “Kitty Café”, a KC Employee Giving Program event sponsored by the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget and Seattle Meowtropolitan Café. The event highlights a partnership with cat cafes located in Seattle promoting the adoption of RASKC cats. “There was a strong interest and tentative reservation made for 4 of the 5 kittens that were brought in,” Animal Services Administrator Lluvia Ellison-Morales said. “Overall, an overwhelming majority loved the well-organized event.” Employees stopped by to pet the kittens, which were all eligible for adoption. Attendees were also able… Read More
Regional leaders announce ‘One Table’ – a community approach to homelessness and affordability
King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus today announced the formation of One Table, a comprehensive effort made up of business, service providers, healthcare, faith community, philanthropy, labor, academia, community members and people who have experienced homelessness. The group will assess the region’s current response to homelessness, including root causes such as escalating home prices, inequality and the need to expand mental health and addiction services. It will also work to scale up community-based and government programs that are successful. “We all know homelessness is a… Read More
Graduates from ironworkers training begin new pathway
Finding meaningful employment can be difficult for people who have been involved in the criminal justice system, but a King County program is offering new opportunity and hope. The King County Jobs Initiative (KCJI) provides assistance to individuals with previous convictions or justice system involvement who are unemployed and on food stamps. It focuses job training in employment areas that have the most potential for wage growth. The program recently partnered with the Ironworkers Union Local 86 to launch KCJI’s first Ironworkers Cohort Pre-apprenticeship training, a four-week intensive program that submerges participants into the world of ironworking. On Orientation Day, individuals went through a four-hour physical test; lifting 80-pound rebar to and from different areas for 30 minutes; various wire tying tests; a rope tying test; and a… Read More
Renewing our commitment to veterans
King County’s Vets 4 HIRE Program is an internship program for veterans with a purpose to support veterans in making a successful transition to civilian employment. It provides them with valuable hands-on practical experience to increase their competitiveness for King County and other civilian positions. It is available to veterans who reside in King County regardless if they are enrolled in college and places them in workplaces throughout the County. Hiring agencies receive up to $6,250 in wage reimbursement per veteran hired into a six month or longer experience. The program began in 2012… Read More
Tails from the Community: RASKC appears on Zulily’s Facebook LIVE Broadcast
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC Zulily, the Seattle based e-commerce company, has previously worked with RASKC to help raise awareness of our adoptable pets through in-studio photo shoots. On Cyber Monday, Zulily hosted a 12-hour Facebook LIVE segment to showcase their products at discounted deals. Zulily also invited RASKC to stop by during the show with a few of our adoptable pets. The video was co-hosted by RASKC’s Community Engagement and Communications Administrator Lluvia Ellison-Morales and Zulily’s User Experience Designer Jennifer French, who is also an 11-year veteran volunteer at RASKC. During the show, they provided information about RASKC… Read More
Holiday Food Drive underway
As many of us gather with family and friends to share a meal over the holidays, there are some people in our region who struggle every day to have enough to eat. You can help make this time of year a little brighter for them by giving to the annual King County Holiday Food Drive. Place your donations of non-perishable, pre-packaged food in the marked bins located in many King County buildings. Staff from Facilities Management will gather the donations for delivery to Northwest Harvest. This year’s food drive runs through December 15. Though their network… Read More
Students get behind-the-scenes look at the Airport
Crossposted from The Centerline One of the best parts of our job is helping young people discover the aviation industry. Last month, we got the opportunity to introduce several students from Renton High School to our work as part of DiscoverU – when students across Seattle and South King County are encouraged to explore college and career options. Programs Manager Tricia Diamond helped coordinate the visit to King County International Airport/Boeing Field. Throughout the day, students got an overview of the different jobs necessary to keep the Airport functioning on a 24/7 basis. Read… Read More
Recruiting new employees from King County’s “Communities of Opportunity”
Crossposted from Inside Transportation As part of the ongoing work to dismantle racial injustice that can persist in our policies and systems, KCDOT recently partnered with staff from the County’s Communities of Opportunity initiative and WorkSource to recruit new employees for entry-level and journey-level job openings. More than 170 jobseekers received valuable information about jobs and tips for applying online, at the event held Nov. 16 at the YWCA Learning Center at Greenbridge in White Center. Staff worked with community-based partners and WorkSource providers to get the word out and increase access to jobs to more candidates from traditionally underserved… Read More
King County Executive seeks moratorium on Atlantic salmon net pens
Citing the threat to native salmon populations, King County Executive Dow Constantine has called for a six-month moratorium on allowing any new Atlantic fish farming facilities along marine shoreline in unincorporated King County. “The hundreds of thousands of farmed, invasive Atlantic salmon that spilled into the Salish Sea in August threaten our native fish populations and our way of life,” said Executive Constantine. “Atlantic salmon don’t belong here. Beyond a six month moratorium, we need to ensure these operations can never again pose a threat to indigenous salmon already struggling to survive.”… Read More
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