Jan 72 minFrom South to West“My first day here, I woke up and realized there weren’t any Black people,” laughs Shaquana Dobbins, a Direct Service Professional in VOA...
Aug 15, 20211 minThe Soul TestI am VOA. Have you ever taken a personality test? I took one called a “soul” test one time and found out: I’m a Server, a person who...
Aug 15, 20211 minWindow of OpportunityI am VOA. I had a window when I first started, over in the Broadway building. When I interviewed at VOA, I was so nervous. I had to start...
Aug 6, 20212 minWarming Up To HumansI am VOA. I usually like dogs more than people. They’re not judgy. I’ve got Jake, who’s a mutt. And Oliver is a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. I...
Aug 4, 20212 minOne Hour of ServiceWe are VOA. Ellie the potato puller. Ellie the Christmas Elf. Ellie the recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for the...
Jul 29, 20211 minOther Duties As AssignedI am VOA. Working for VOA for the past 12 years I have been able to witness the wide range of services that VOA offers in the community....
Jul 29, 20212 minA Tradition of GivingI am VOA. “I could never imagine what some of my clients are going through. I just want to help.” Born and raised in Everett by a...
Jul 28, 20212 minThe Spirit of Grams"I am humble because I’ve been there. My mom got WIC when we were kids. I’ve had just buttered noodles for dinner or chili all week. I...
Jul 28, 20213 minThe Big OneClaire Danielson, the new VOA Controller, is explaining about the Big Four: The four biggest accounting firms in the United States. They...
Jul 20, 20213 minActs of GodJessica Marburger has experience with what insurance companies call Acts of God. “Flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, riptides. I...
Jul 9, 20213 minOne PersonChris Eck remembers. She remembers that old farmhouse they lived in in the DC area, when her Dad was in the Army, and their Dalmatian,...
Jul 7, 20213 minThe Purpose of Strong Tea“We could have anything we wanted for breakfast: tray of eggs, bread and butter, tea with milk and sugar.” Until she was eight, Sophie’s...
Jul 6, 20212 minBegin AgainAnne is bragging about her client, a single mom with three kids. The mom moved back into the area with nothing, after a divorce and...
Jul 6, 20213 minLauryn Hartridge: Birth of A Writer“I’ve always been a person who likes to document things.” Lauryn Hartridge wants to remember. Maybe it’s all the people she’s left...
Feb 25, 20212 minCaring For Those Who Care For OthersBy Brenda Werth, Senior Director of Disability Services Volunteers of America Western Washington When I started as a Direct Support...
Feb 25, 20212 minAudrey Beastrom: The ClimbYou could be having a bad day, and you walk in and see Rhonda (pictured above) and she just makes you feel so good. She's so happy and...
Feb 24, 20211 minGrowing with John Peace: A Disability Services StoryThis is the story of a remarkable, three-agency partnership that led to John Peace working at the King County Greenhouse for over 32...
Dec 31, 20202 minFighting The Battle Against HungerFor 11 years, each day at work has pretty much been the same, which is exactly how Manny Magbag, a driver in Hunger Prevention, prefers...
Dec 31, 20202 minThe Gift of ListeningIt’s 1981. Jake is 10 months old. His parents notice a red dot near his right eye, and soon the eye is so swollen that they take him to...