2019 Annual Giving Drive: Spotlight on nonprofits providing services and support for veterans

King County’s Annual Giving Drive Program is underway through Friday, Nov. 22, and almost 1,200 nonprofits are taking part this year. Throughout this year’s drive, we’ll be featuring four nonprofits in different categories. This week, we’re highlighting nonprofits that provide services and support for Veterans and their families in honor of Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Heartbeat Serving Wounded Warriors (9525) PO Box 610, Onalaska, WA 98570 – The mission of the foundation is to provide emergency assistance, morale building programs, and innovative therapeutic services for wounded warriors and their families. OARS For Women… Read More

Have your say on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5

Dear Colleagues, It’s election time! You should have received your ballot for the November 5, 2019 General Election. If you haven’t, make sure to get a replacement ballot online or call 206-296-VOTE. I know the ballot this year is a little overwhelming. The entire front page is state ballot measures and advisory votes (don’t get me going on those advisory votes, ugh). All candidate races and local ballot measures are on the back – so make sure to flip that giant ballot over and vote the back as well! The good news… Read More

Discount for 2019 WildLights at Woodland Park Zoo and Sesame Street Live! 

King County employees can now receive 10% off full-price tickets for WildLights, from Nov. 29 through Jan. 5, and see wild animals and wild places recreated in over 800,000 sparkling energy-efficient LED lights. Adult tickets are $15.26 (regularly $16.95), children tickets are $11.66 (regularly $12.95), and toddlers are free. Buy tickets at this link.  Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic is at the acesso Showare Center in Kent, WA, Dec. 11-12, 2019. Tickets can be purchased by calling 866-248-8740, option 1. For questions call the number or email FeldDirectGroups@feldinc.com. Savings will be applied at time of purchase. Order… Read More

Tech Tip: Microsoft to shut off “ToDo” application 

In preparation for a change that Microsoft is making to King County’s Office 365 setup, the “ToDo” application will no longer be supported or available for use. Access to this application is scheduled to be turned off on Nov. 6. If you use ToDo, you can recreate your ToDo tasks in Outlook as Outlook Tasks prior to Nov. 6. For help, please contact the Helpdesk by submitting a HelpDesk ticket or calling 206-263-HELP. 

That’s a wrap on 2019 flu shots 

Crossposted from Balanced You Every fall, King County’s Balanced You program provides worksite flu shot clinics for employees. In response to employee feedback, we expanded this year’s program by adding late afternoon clinic times, four new worksites, and more staff to better reach employees. Over the course of six weeks, we traveled to Woodinville, Auburn, Maple Valley and several worksites in between, serving more than 3,800 employees. Thank you! Our team works throughout the year to plan these clinics with several benefit partners, our flu shot vendor and employees that volunteer their time to coordinate… Read More

At DPD, a new unit helps people reclaim their lives 

Crossposted from For the Defense  For years, Detric Johnson felt as though there was nothing he could do to erase the mistakes of his past. He faced more than $10,000 in legal financial obligations (LFOs), a crippling burden. He had felonies on his record, most of them 25 years old. Without a driver’s license, he couldn’t land a job.  “My life was in a shambles,” he said.  All that changed over the course of a few months, when an old DUI and another driving charge caught up with him and he was assigned a… Read More

Trailhead Direct ridership increased 75 percent in its second full season 

Ridership on Trailhead Direct – a transit-to-trails service co-led by King County Metro and King County Parks – increased 75 percent during the second year of a two-year pilot project. The improved service design made it possible for hikers to board any of the four routes and get to any trail in the Trailhead Direct network.  Passengers boarded Trailhead Direct for more than 17,500 hikes in the second season of the two-year pilot project co-led by King County Metro and King County Parks, a 75 percent increase from last year. The transit-to-trails service added… Read More

National conference selects King County as site of annual conference, spotlights Zero Youth Detention 

Crossposted from Zero Youth Detention  Each year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation hosts a national conference for the over 300 jurisdictions in 40 states that have signed on to implement its Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). This year, the conference was hosted in King County, from October 16-18, in part to showcase the work of King County’s Zero Youth Detention and essential community partnerships.  “I started volunteering. I found community, and they saw gifts in me I didn’t know I had,” said Durell Green, describing to conference attendees the transition that took him from time in… Read More

Food drive underway 

The 2019 Northwest Harvest Food Drive has begun and runs through Nov. 22. Collection boxes are being distributed to King County buildings.    Feel free to get creative and hold competitions to encourage donations! If a box gets full and you would like a replacement, please contact Angela Strong of the Facilities Management Division of the Department of Executive Services.   Last year the generous employees of King County gathered 3,702 pounds of food. Click here for more information about Northwest Harvest and their mission. 

Join the Executive Department at the Harvest Festival, Nov. 8 

The Executive Department Senior Leadership Team is excited to invite you to the Employee Giving Program Harvest Festival. This seasonal event will feature treats, a photo booth, nonprofits, and pets available for adoption. There will be a drawing for prizes such as a $100 gift certificate to Ethan Stowell restaurants, a fall-themed gift basket, and lunch with the Executive.  Are you eager to try the new Cosmic Crisp apple? Come to the Festival, and you’ll have the opportunity to try these not-yet-released Washington apples. Suggested donation of $10 at the door, but giving… Read More