Vine Maple Place - September 2016

Our Covington Chamber Ambassadors recently attended a Vision of Hope tour at Vine Maple Place in order to gain insight into the issue of family homelessness in our community and Vine Maple Place’s innovative program to help these families work towards stability.

Vine Maple Place’s mission is to break the cycle of homelessness by helping single parents and their children build lives of hope, stability, and greater self-sufficiency. They not only help families with their immediate needs to find housing or prevent eviction, they also take an innovative approach to addressing the barriers that lead to homelessness and work towards breaking the generational cycle of homelessness.

Families in the program receive Financial Literacy training to help them learn to manage their finances and work towards long-term financial stability. They also receive Employment and Livable Wage Development focused on long term self-sufficiency through full-time livable wage employment.

What is particularly impressive about the program at Vine Maple Place is the level of support given to the children of the families they serve. The Child and Youth Services they provide engage children in activities that promote self-esteem and emotional stability through tutoring, counseling, mentoring, therapeutic intervention, and life skills coaching in order to be successful at home and at school.

Vine Maple Place has helped hundreds of families in our community break the cycle of homelessness thanks to the generosity of their donors and volunteers. If you are interested in helping then make a difference, check out their list of immediate Donation Needs and their Volunteer Needs.

We highly encourage you to attend one of the Vision of Hope tours at Vine Maple Place to see for yourself the incredible services Vine Maple Place offers to families dealing with homelessness in our community. Click here to view upcoming Vision of Hope dates.

To learn more about how Vine Maple Place helps families in our community, check out Josh's Family Story Video:

 

For more information about Vine Maple Place:

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Shine On Signs and Graphics - August 2016

Our Covington Ambassadors met with Harry Wilson, President of Shine On Signs and Graphics, to tour their production facility and learn more about the products and services they provide. According to Harry, their goal at Shine On Signs is to Create Impressions that Last Forever.  He says “We know that your custom sign creates that very first impression and brand image for you, your employees, and your customers.  We take great pride in designing and building high-quality signs that Shine On you and your organization.  We offer the best service along with premium materials, because we know that the signs we build for you reflect your high quality and professional pride.”

Harry mentioned that they particularly like working with new businesses. This gives them the opportunity to be involved from start to finish with all their signage needs, including designing their logo and graphics, as well as production and installation of any signs and other marketing materials. They are knowledgeable about all city codes and will even obtain any necessary sign permits on behalf of the business.

Our Ambassadors were amazed by how many different kinds of signs and promotional items they do.  According to Harry, about 50% of their business consists of vehicle graphics and wraps. Creating exterior illuminated signs for businesses makes up about 30%. The remaining 20% consists of “everything else” including a huge variety of signs, banners, and other promotional items. People may not realize just how many different types of products they offer. “When in doubt” Harry says “just ask, chances are we can make it for you.”

The Ambassadors were also impressed with the quality of their products. Shine On Signs believes what sets them apart from their competition is their superior products using only high quality materials, as well as their excellent customer service.

Shine On Signs and Graphics is a family-owned company serving all of King County.

For more information about Shine On Signs and Graphics:
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Advanced Eye Care - April 2016

The leading provider of quality vision care products and personalized optometric services in Covington since 2014.

Our Covington Ambassadors met with Advanced Eye Care of Covington to learn about the services they offer. Here are some of our Ambassador’s comments:

Grady and Advanced Eye care are a great resource for the whole family’s eye care. Their office is set up with the latest advanced technology for eye exams.  He takes time explaining the eye treatment and options as necessary so that his patients are fully informed and understand the treatment he is recommending.

About Doctor Hollenbeck:

Originally from Kailua, Oahu in the State of Hawaii, Dr. Grady Hollenbeck moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1995 to attend the University of Washington. In 2003 he earned his Doctor of Optometry Degree from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. Dr. Hollenbeck has practiced Optometry in Western Washington, Hawaii and Minnesota and currently resides in Maple Valley with his wife and two young children.

Schedule an appointment with Grady Hollenbeck, OD and give your vision the level of care and attention it deserves.

For more information about Advanced Eye Care of Covington:

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Communities In Schools of Kent - April 2016

About Communities In Schools of Kent:

Communities In Schools of Kent, also known as CISK, is a local affiliate of the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization. CISK works within schools in the the Kent School District, including 18 schools in Kent and Covington. Our mission is to surround students with a community of support empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. CISK places a dedicated Site Coordinator in partner schools, who work with the administration and staff to determine student needs. We have Site Coordinators in 8 schools this year and they establish relationships with local businesses, social service agencies, health care providers and parent and volunteer organizations to provide needed resources to the students and their families. In the high school setting our Site Coordinators also work with local businesses to provide internships for students to gain real world work experience and help with college planning/post-graduation planning.

CISK trains community volunteers to mentor one-on-one with students, based on background and interests. These mentors meet once a week with their student during the school day, and provide them with a caring adult relationship, which is shown to be critical to student success. You do not need to have previous experience in mentoring to help these young students. CISK also has a few mentors that meet with small groups of students this year, that tend to be more topic based, and reach a larger number of students within your once a week mentoring session. (Groups/topics currently include- finance, identity, college transition, gender specific) New this year we are also in need of mentors for the students in the Mechatronics Maintenance program at Kent Phoenix Academy affiliated with GRCC. These students are learning to manage the complex maintenance needs of manufacturing equipment in the aerospace industry and beyond. Mentors with management, manufacturing or aerospace technology would be a great fit.

Testimonial from Linda Smith, Covington Chamber Ambassador and Mentor for CISK:

I have been a mentor for 6 years and have helped 8 young women complete their high school education and 5 of them have started college or trade school. One young women has come back to be a mentor last year.

When I was asked to become a mentor, I had no idea what mentoring would entail.  To me, it seem a daunting idea. What would I talk to them about? How would I navigate the generation gap? What could I offer them? Would they want to spend an hour a week with an adult they don’t know?

Well, it turned out to be so simple. You make a commitment to them to be there, and then you let them lead the way. Each one is different with their fears, hopes and dreams. What happens after graduation? This is the most mentioned topic to explore.  It opens the doors to discussions on various ideas.  Most of us have life experiences to relate to them. You are not in this alone, Communities in Schools is there to help and work with you.

It’s the most rewarding volunteer work I have ever done. It’s such a good feeling to see them receive their diplomas and look to the future with renewed faith in themselves, and the attainable goals they have set.

I would encourage you to become a mentor. As you make an impact on the life of a young person, it makes an impact on you too.

For more information about CISK:

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Critter Control - February 2016

 

Got Critters? Critter Control is the Nation’s Leading Wildlife Control Firm. Our Covington Ambassadors met with Karen Awrylo and Mike Mead, owners of Critter Control of Seattle to learn about the services they offer. Here are some of our Ambassador’s comments:

• Owners Karen and Mike have over 21 years of experience in the industry and offer a wide service area including Pierce, King and Snohomish Counties, as well as evening and weekend on call services.
• They take a full service approach that distinguishes them from their competitors. Rather than just focusing on trapping, they help their clients identify points of entry, complete damage repairs and protect structures to prevent return.
• Many people may not be aware of their Home Services division, offering a wide variety of exterior home services including cleaning and maintenance of roof, deck, siding, gutters, attics, and crawl spaces as well as tree trimming/removal.
• All technicians are highly trained and tested with each animal they deal with, including biology, mating habits, and diseases carried, to ensure the safest and most effective handling, removal and prevention techniques.

Critter Control is leading the way in safe and humane animal removal. Contact them today for your wildlife management needs!

For more information about Critter Control of Seattle:

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Check out these special deals for Covington Residents and Chamber Members!

 



Elements NW - January 2016

 

Our Covington Ambassadors met with Jennifer Vandeventer, owner of Elements NW to learn about the services they offer. Here are some of our Ambassador’s comments:

• Elements NW has been in the business of helping plan business events, weddings and other events for over 25 years. Jennifer Vandeventer has a customer centric business model that takes your must haves and goals and helps you plan and execute your event seamlessly.  She has vetted vendors she matches with your event needs.
• Jennifer’s has an extensive background in marketing and project management which helps her to understand and execute her clients’ vision. She incorporates concepts like branding, social media and experiential marketing to create fun and engaging events guests will remember and talk about.
• While a large part of her business is comprised of weddings, she especially enjoys working on business and social events as these allow for more creativity and the ability to create unique experiences based on the goals of the client.
• Elements NW has received the Couples Choice Award from Wedding Wire three years in a row, an award recognizing businesses in the top 5% in their industry. Their events have also been featured in South Sound Wedding and Event Magazine.
• They offer a wide variety of packages to work within any budget, ranging from all-inclusive planning and execution, day-of coordination, as well consultation services starting at only $250 if you would simply like some ideas and planning tools to help get your started. They also give a 20% discount to non-profits!

Call Elements NW today to find out how they can help make your next event a success!



 

For more information on Elements NW Events & Weddings:

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