IN THE HOUSE |

Non-profit org.U.S. Postage PAID

Seattle, WAPermit # 8887

1225 South Weller St. Suite 510Seattle, WA 98144

Mark your calendars and please plan to join us March 15, 2017 for our 111th Anniversary What Matters Most Breakfast. It's the one time each year our friends and supporters can collectively celebrate our successes and continue doing what truly matters most to us all!

NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE NEWSLETTER

1906 − 2016: Neighborhood House then and now...

Did you know?

Meet Marissa Graff, Citizenship InstructorFaces in Our House

South King County is where more and more immigrants and refugees are moving. Now, we can help this population, too.

What do you do?

How did you get started in this field?

What surprises people about your job?

I teach low-income immigrants and refugees how to pass their citi-zenship interview. My students learn American history, geography and government. I also help them improve their basic English skills.

I taught English abroad in Slovakia, South Korea and Poland. I loved working with people from all over the world and I wanted to work with immigrants and help them become self-sufficient.

How hard the test to become an American is!

10.2016

October 27Morning or afternoon

High Point, NewHolly, Rainier Vista and Yesler Terrace

What better way to usher in fall than to spend an hour or so reading to our most eager clients: pre-schoolers!

We guarantee you'll be the most popular

kid in the classroom and won't want to leave.

Come spring we'll have even more opportuni-ties to help you rediscover that inner child!

Call or email Courtney Jacob if you would like to volunteer, 206-461-8430 x 2006 or court-neyj@nhwa.org.

Upcoming Events

October 286:30 - 10:30 p.m.Palace Ballroom

There's still time left to purchase tickets and join us Oct. 28 at the Palace Ballroom to dine, dance, and raise funds for Neighborhood House.

Matthew Dillon, board member and award-winning chef, will be partnering with Tom Douglas Catering to serve up some special fare.

From our signature cocktail to the cus-tom menu, Caravale will give you the chance to explore the Caribbean culture while supporting our work with immi-grants and refugees.

Visit www.caravale.org to make your reservations.

Fantastic food, friends and conversation couldn't have been more enjoyable −

thanks to all who joined us in September.

A Seasonal Affair: Grillin’ with Dillon

Storytime Thursday

Above, our nursery school program in 1937. Top right, Hannah Schwartz, the beloved 'house mother' of Settlement House, and our first paid employee. Early childhood educa-tion programs remain a core part of our work today.

What do you do to relax, have fun?Reading, going to concerts, and hanging out with my dog, Bruce Springsteen-Wayne.

Client Snapshot

Courtesy of UW Libraries Special Collections

IN THE HOUSE | NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE NEWSLETTER

Last month KUOW reported that since 2010, Washington has taken in 16,504 refugees from 46 countries, ranking it 10th in the nation for number of refugees.

KUOW also reported that almost two-thirds of these refugees settled in King County, with more than 5,000 living in Seattle and over 3,000 living in Kent.

Obtaining U.S. citizenship has been shown to increase access to better economic op-portunities and increase civic engagement. Despite these benefits and the large num-bers of immigrants and refugees in our re-gion, the availability of citizenship classes and application assistance is limited.

Luckily, Neighborhood House recently received a grant from USCIS to expand our citizenship program, which we've been op-erating for nearly 20 years. We will now be

Spotlight on...Citizenship Program

10.2016

Supporter Corner Defining MomentsFeatured supporter: Microsoft

Amlesu shows off her new U.S. Citizenship Certificate. She's worked hard to learn English while still honoring her Ethiopian culture.

Client snapshot: Kimani

"For other young people, I'd say be humble and don't go through life with a sense of entitlement. Humility goes a long way." − Kimani, age 35

Born in Kenya in 1981 and emi-grating to the states at the age of 19, Kimani arrived with nothing but the clothes on his back and $6 dollars in his pocket.

Yet he just reached two mile-stones—graduating from Wash-ington State University with a master’s degree in engineering and becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.

A career and job fair connected him to Neighborhood House, and from there, he enrolled in the pre-apprenticeship program offered by the Manufacturing Academy at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle College.

Five weeks of classwork to pick up hard and soft skills combined

able to serve more people and expand services to Kent and White Center.

Our community-based, small group classes prepare students with limited English proficiency to pass their U.S. citizenship test and interview while improving English reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Because most students have needs beyond citizenship, each one also works with a Family Support Worker who connects them to relevant agen-cy services and resources and with partners so that they can be stable and successful.

This comprehensive approach has led to great results; in just one year, we provided citizenship classes to 197 students and helped 116 naturalize!

During his speech at our 110th Anni-versary Breakfast, Executive Direc-tor Mark Okazaki shared his vision of our new strategic plan: “Do more. For more. Do better. Now!”

And we’ve been in pursuit ever since! This fall, we’ll be hiring some 50 new staff members. Through Microsoft’s generous donation of over $3 million in software, we can keep pace and make greater impacts on the com-munities and people we serve.

Our collaboration with Microsoft goes far beyond software. In addition to the 943 Microsoft employees who donate to Neighborhood House, we have dozens of Microsoft employees who volunteer here!

Take Part

We’re delighted to introduce Sparklight, our designation for individuals donating $1,000 per year or more to help light the way for our clients. Sparklight donors receive special recognition in our annual report, our newsletter and our website. They are also invited to join us for Grillin’ with Dillon, where we thank and celebrate our major supporters! Those contributing $1,000 or more annually (includ-ing employer matching funds) automatically become Sparklight donors. If you want more information about Sparklight, contact Ward Wright, Neighborhood House’s Major Gift Manager, at 206-461-8430 x 2053 or wardw@nhwa.org.

with our resume and ca-reer coaching landed him a dream job east of the mountains.

"Neighborhood House got me through some very dif-ficult times, including being homeless, and for that, I'm eternally grateful.

From helping us beautify our sites during United Way’s Day of Caring, to providing one-on-one vol-unteer support for clients, to micro-volunteer projects during Microsoft’s Giving campaign, we have an amazing network help-ing us build even stronger communities!

Neighborhood HousematesIntroducing Sparklight!

AnonymousDaryl and Anna ReichsteinDebra SantosDennis and Mim McGrathDylan J. BigelowEthan and Tracy WongEvan Brown and Elli KoskellaFran and Peter BigelowGreg and Megan PursellJeff and Stacey LewisJolie LofinkKaren ClayKatie KazmierKelly Ciotti and Steve NoyesLee and Donna FitchLiliana Lengua and Troy Hussing

Thank you to our 2016 Sparklight donors:

Marcie Headen and Kathi WhiteMark OkazakiMarti Richardson and Paul CaseyMatthew DillonMichelle and Steve GraunkeMike Smyser and Stella ChaoMoises and Liz SaulNina DillonPhillip SitPhyllis HatfieldPurple Crayon FoundationRodrick WilliamsSally BjerklieStephen BaylesStephen Hurd and Caroline SheltonTrophy Cupcakes