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“There’s so much need going on. I can’t just sit on the sideline.” Let’s go back to before Paul started volunteering at the Edmonds College Food Pantry to make sure his classmates had enough to eat. Before he began serving at the Lynnwood Hygiene Center – a converted emissions testing site – to ensure the homeless had access to showers, toiletries, and food. Before he went back to school and enrolled at Edmonds College, to become a Substance Abuse Counselor. Let’s go back to the summer of 2018. Before that, Paul had a career as an auto mechanic. But, a busted ankle left him in a wheelchair that summer. He’d struggled with alcohol before, but with no structure to those long days, why not take a drink? He couldn’t work – and maybe would never be a mechanic again – and was worried about losing his place in Lake Stevens, so he called 211. The operator connected him to VOA Prevention Navigator Anne Hoffman. “She has been super. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have been able to make it.” Anne helped find rental assistance for Paul, first from one source than another. “It’s turned my world around,” says Paul. “I feel blessed because of all the people who supported me.”

“Awful.” That’s how Melissa envisions her fate without 2-1-1. For those who don’t have anyone else turn to, those three digits are a lifeline. Tears of gratitude flow as she tells about the call that lifted her out of the fear and uncertainty she never could have predicted as this year began. Melissa loved her job as a Trader Joe’s crew member. Setting up store displays, handing out food samples, and “doing anything else that needed to be done” for seven years allowed her to contribute to a 401(k) and retirement plan. Taking a chance, she cashed those out, left Trader Joe’s, and fulfilled a lifelong dream of starting her own business. Melissa Lynn’s Permanent Cosmetics specialized in cosmetic eyebrow tattooing. However, as business slowed, she returned to Trader Joe’s to have more income stability as a single mom and briefly stayed in her mother’s one-bedroom apartment. Three generations made the best of it. “We blew up an air mattress every night to sleep,” Melissa says with a chuckle. This year started full of promise. Then, schools closed. She had little choice but to quit her job to stay home and care for her 10-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter. Melissa collected unemployment, cleaned houses, and supplemented with child support payments. It still wasn’t enough. Helplessly watching income dry up over the summer, a fateful encounter in August with another Edmonds mom changed everything. “She told me about 2-1-1 and food assistance, so I could get an EBT card.” Brandi, who Melissa calls an angel, was on the other end of the line. Brandi quickly connected Melissa with Sue, a Fair Housing Counselor who specializes in landlord-tenant relations at the VOA Dispute Resolution Center, and Sue was able to secure three months of housing, seeing Melissa’s family through to the end of this year. Melissa has now extended her home to her mom, and three generations are still making the best of it. Looking forward to post-pandemic life, Melissa will emerge as a lash technician and hairstylist, making people feel beautiful and confident once more. Volunteering is also in her future, extending a hand to single mothers facing similar circumstances, paying forward the generosity she received through that late-summer call to 2-1-1. Instead of despair, “You have hope,” she declares. “You have options. You have people to help you. Just make the effort to reach out.”

For Diana and her boyfriend Christian, movies are a holiday tradition, always in a theater. Last Christmas it was Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Go back through the holidays, and you’ll find Avengers, Wonder Woman, Deadpool, and even Jumanji, on New Years Day in 2018. This year it’ll be Wonder Woman: 1984, streaming in their apartment. An apartment they weren’t sure they’d be able to keep. “If Robin hadn’t called me, I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through.” Diana works, but Christian hasn’t had steady work and his mom, Maria, is unable to work. For the first time in their lives, they visited the food bank for Thanksgiving, and they were falling behind on rent. One day, their property manager connected Diana with VOAWW. That’s when she met Robin, an Early Resolution Specialist with VOA. “Robin answers every time I call. She answers all of my texts. I didn’t expect that.” Robin connected Diana with rental assistance to pay for two months in back rent. When Diana found out, “It was just incredible.....I cried.” “What I would like to share most is that there are always helpers out there. I think Mr. Rogers put it best: ‘Always look for the helpers.’ There should be no shame or guilt with asking for help, no matter how much or how long you need it. Our hope with our little family is that we can repay this back in the future in some way.” “Although we may not ever get to meet Robin in person, we are so grateful for her efforts! Thank you so much for all you do!”

Activities and continued learning. Membership for age 50 and up. Venue, party, and meeting room rental plus bingo and commissary kitchen serving Everett, Marysville, Lake Stevens, Snohomish County, and nearby communities. Carl Gipson Center The Carl Gipson Center is a membership-based community serving adults 50+, veterans, individuals with disabilities, underserved communities, immigrants, youth, and families. Welcome! Click below to learn about the latest activities, events and news from the Center. Please note, lunch is provided by Homage from 11:30am - 12:00pm, Mon-Fri Gipson Gazette Lunch Menu Activities Calendar Activities Registration 3025 Lombard Ave Everett WA 98201 (Find parking information here ) Hours of Operation Mon - Thurs | 8:30am - 4:00pm Fri & Sat | 8:30am - 1:00pm (425) 818-2784 @gipsoncenter Activities Exercise & Movement Classes, Clubs & Games Conversation, Fellowship & Support Personal Services Trips Speakers & Workshops Annual & Special Events Get Started Membership Rates Membership Form Financial Assistance Member Handbook Rental Request Room Rentals The Carl Gipson Center offers rooms to rent for your next event or gathering, plus the convenience of a Commissary Kitchen for food prep. The Cascade View room features a commercial kitchen including gas ranges, flat top stove, steam table, ice machine, and more. Smaller rooms are available for social activities and parties. Rental Rates Commissary Kitchen Rates Questions? Contact voarentals@voaww.org Show your support for the Carl Gipson Center! The Carl Gipson Center depends on donations and support from individuals, foundations and corporations to serve everyone in the community. Carl's Club Donate Sponsor Legacy Club Gipson Center Staff Executive Director Cory Armstrong-Hoss 425-818-2784 carmstrong@voaww.org Contact Cory for: Partnerships Public Relations Speaker Series Fundraising Committees Operations Director Gul Subaykan 425-818-2744 gsubaykan@voaww.org Contact Gul for: Membership Outreach Special Programs & Services Activities Coordinator Kerri Schwindt 425-818-2372 kschwindt@voaww.org Contact Kerri for: Activities and Programs Events Trips Bingo Rental & Engagement Coordinator Sabrina Willard 425-212-2924 swillard@voaww.org Contact Sabrina for: Rentals Marketing Volunteer Opportunities PROUD SERVICE PARTNERS

Volunteers of America Western Washington assists with food banks, rent and utility assistance, crisis counseling, mediation, and ECEAP preschool. The Right Supplies. The Right Start. For many children, a new backpack means confidence, belonging, and excitement for the year ahead. For families facing financial hardship, it can also mean relief. Your donation to Operation Backpack® helps local students receive the school supplies they need to start the year with dignity and hope. Donate Now Quick Links Need help? We offer a wide range of resources from food and housing to behavioral health and conflict resolution. Looking to give back? Volunteering, donating, or joining the team are all ways you can play an active part in helping our neighbors find stability. Get Food There are no eligibility or documentation requirements to receive food at any VOAWW food banks or pantries. Learn More Housing Our housing programs help find and or stabilize housing for both short and long term needs. Learn More Early Learning ECEAP Preschools in Everett, Monroe, and Sultan, as well as Early Learning & Child Care services in Sultan and Lynnwood. Learn More Behavioral Health We are here to provide resources and support to people in crisis and/ or considering suicide and those who want others to get the help they need. Learn More Tribal Services Serving Native American & Alaska Native Communities throughout the state of Washington to access culturally appropriate behavioral health resources. Learn More Personal Support Services Support for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities to live safe and fulfilling lives, help with budgeting for SSA benefits, and Foundational Community Supports. Learn More Dispute Resolution Our Dispute Resolution Centers offer mediation and conflict resolution resources as well as training opportunities. Learn More Mediation An alternative to living with the stress of conflict or the anxiety of the formal legal system, mediation can help people in conflict find workable solutions quickly and affordably. Learn More Fair Housing Learn about your rights as a tenant or landlord, provide and obtain housing without discrimination, and much more! Learn More Volunteer Donate your time and gain new experiences through our many volunteer opportunities. Make a difference today. Learn More Donate Car donations, Cryptocurrency, leaving a gift in your will, and monetary donations. There's so many ways you make an impact! Learn More Job Opportunities Join the VOAWW team and become a part of serving others and strengthening communities. Learn More Who We Are Volunteers of America Western Washington was established in 1898, two years after Maud and Ballington Booth founded the national organization in New York. We respond to hundreds of thousands of requests for assistance each year through a partnership of professional staff, volunteers, and community supporters. Volunteers are instrumental in every aspect of our ministry of service and help us reach thousands more people than we could with staff alone. We acknowledge, serve, and uplift each and every person. No matter your identity, citizenship, origin, color, or creed, you are welcome here. Our commitment is to serve those needing food, shelter, crisis care, free preschool, community resources, and so much more. Featured Story Stories of Impact Pressing On Complex trauma. Assault. Homelessness. Addiction. Recovery. Relapse. These aren’t just frightening words. They are the experiences that... 2 min read "I hated who I had become." “I am 32 years old now, so I can sum it up to 2 decades battling to get my life back.” Most 12-year-olds are in 7th grade and summoning... 2 min read Lights and a Cheeseburger “I’ve been struggling since I retired,” worries Bonnie, “with the cost of things going up. My property tax went from $75.00 in 2019 to $289.00 now. That is a huge jump, and my mobile home is only worth $10,000.” On a fixed income at the age of 74, funds seem to dwindle faster each year. Rent increased $100 per month last November, but the check in the mail stays the same. And so, decisions between keeping the lights on, having food, or paying for hearing aids to live alone sa 1 min read

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