Tip the glass and pass the hat for Encompass

March 11, 2010

NEW — 2:20 p.m. March 11, 2010

Snoqualmie residents Krista McManus (left) and Tracie Miles watch as Lindsey McKay of Sagelands Winery of Wapato pours McManus a glass of wine during the March 6 Sip of Snoqualmie. The event, which drew around 350 people to Snoqualmie Casino, benefits Encompass, a family-services organization in Snoqualmie Valley. (Photo contributed by Clay Eals)

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Get fine wine and cuisine with Encompass

February 18, 2010

NEW — 10:36 a.m. Feb. 18, 2010

Explore fine wine and cuisine while simultaneously supporting Encompass. The North Bend family-support nonprofit is holding four Winemaker Dinners as part of Sip of Snoqualmie. Each dinner costs $150 and begins at 6:30 p.m.

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Encompass to offer free parenting classes

February 5, 2010

NEW — 6 a.m. Feb. 5, 2010

Parents often send their children straight to timeout after an incident, but that should be a last resort, Encompass Family Support Program Manager Kerry Beymer said. Read more

Written by Laura Geggel · Filed Under Community, Local News | 2 Comments

Boeing Classic will benefit medical research

January 30, 2010

NEW — 6:00 a.m. Jan. 30, 2010

Boeing Classic officials just named its new charity beneficiary — The Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason Medical Center. Read more

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King County Council donates used vans to Encompass and other nonprofits

December 30, 2009

NEW — 1:28 p.m. Dec. 30, 2009

King County Council members donated 27 retired Metro Vanpool vehicles to provide transportation assistance to local governments, community programs, senior citizens and young adults, including North Bend’s Encompass, a preschool, summer camp, family service center and resource for children with developmental disorders. Read more

Written by Laura Geggel · Filed Under Local News | 1 Comment

King County Council donates used vans to Encompass and other non-profits

December 24, 2009

NEW — 4 p.m. Dec. 24, 2009

The King County Council has approved donating 27 retired Metro Vanpool vehicles to provide transportation assistance to local governments, community programs, senior citizens and young adults, including North Bend’s Encompass, a preschool, summer camp, family service center and resource for children with developmental disorders. Read more

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Cascade View students learn lessons about giving respectfully

December 16, 2009

Cascade View Elementary School fifth-grader Claire Lis showcases food and presents her class donated to the Encompass Respectful Giving campaign. The entire school is participating in the drive. (Photo by Laura Geggel)

Cascade View Elementary School students and staff are filling decorated brown boxes with nonperishable food, gift cards and toys with an extra sprinkling of respect this season for the Respectful Giving Campaign.

The campaign is coordinated through Encompass, a preschool, family service center and resource for children with developmental disorders. Because Encompass helps low-income families, it was able to connect them with the Cascade View community.

The Associated Student Body representatives at Cascade View spearheaded the campaign, telling their classmates about how the holiday drive would assign each classroom an anonymous family.

The drive has an emphasis on gift cards so that the family can choose their own supplies when they receive the donations Dec. 16.

“Our intention is to practice respectful giving,” Cascade View counselor Sandy Smelser said. “Which means, in part, we want parents to be able to make decisions around what gifts are best suited for the children in their family.”

Cascade View participates in the Encompass drive every other year. In even-numbered years, the school coordinates with other local gift and food drives.

During lunchtime one day, students were eager to share why they participated in the Respectful Giving Campaign and tell of their other volunteer work.

Fifth-grader Kayla Rademacher said it was important to help people in need. She volunteered with her Girl Scout troop at the Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank in North Bend, and encouraged others to follow suit or to get involved with a cause.

“I think it’s fun and good because people that don’t have a lot of money and don’t get enough from the food bank can get more,” Rademacher said of the campaign.

Michael McCall’s whole family gets involved during the holiday season. During a drive last year, he and his little sister Jennifer donated stuffed animals. This year, they’ll be helping even more.

“Some of the Christmas presents we get we’re going to give to the family,” McCall said.

Many in the Cascade View community brought nonperishable food to the Dec. 4 family fun night. By the night’s end, the school had amassed 30 boxes of food.

“My family brought five cans of peas,” said fifth-grader Signe Baekdahl, who said they donated one for each family member.

Like other students, Baekdahl has helped the needy on other fronts. Last year Baekdahl said she and her friends raised money from selling popcorn and cocoa, which they later donated to an animal shelter.

Fourth-grade teacher Marla Eckhart said the drive taught important life lessons.

“Hopefully, if we teach them at a young age, they’ll think about donating for the rest of their lives,” Eckhart said.

Some students could not donate because their families are in difficult financial straits. A few of the families the school is helping live on Snoqualmie Ridge, Smelser said.

“Some kids said they might not be able to give that much, but everyone is trying,” fourth-grader Will Parker said.

Cascade View Principal Ray Wilson commended the students for their dedication to the drive.

“It’s been fun to see how the willingness to give to others is contagious and makes them feel good about themselves,” Wilson said.

Laura Geggel: 392-6434 ext. 221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.

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Encompass offers family portraits for the holidays

December 10, 2009

NEW — 3:00 p.m. Dec. 10, 2009

Encompass is hosting portrait photographer Carlton Ward to take free family portraits for families in need. Participants will receive a free 8-inch by 10-inch print.

Ward, a North Bend photographer, will be taking photos from noon to 7 p.m. at Encompass, 1407 Boalch Ave. N.W., North Bend.

To reserve a spot, call Encompass at 425-888-2777 or stop by Encompass to sign up.

For more information, visit Carlton Ward’s Web site.

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Volunteers help Encompass

September 16, 2009

John Roth wears a pair of earplugs as he rototills earth in the preschool playground during the Sept. 11 Day of Caring cleanup at Encompass in North Bend. Roth, of Bellevue, was one of 26 Microsoft staff who spent the day at Encompass trimming hedges, painting rooms and tackling myriad other projects. The Day of Caring is organized by United Way.

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Local children learn the basics at Champ Camp

August 20, 2009

By Laura Geggel

The children sat in a circle on the floor of the North Bend Library as Encompass speech language pathologist Kari Weed read them a story. To reinforce the lessons about emotions, Weed read “Knuffle Bunny,” by Mo Willems, a book about baby Trixie, who throws a fit when her daddy misplaces her favorite stuffed animal.

“What is the look on her face?” Weed asked. “What do you think Trixie feels?”

The children, all members of Champ Camp, were learning about social interactions. Designed by Encompass Pediatric Therapy Manager Marsha Quinn, the camp helps children with autism and other special needs learn about and practice their social skills.

Quinn, whose two sons are on the autism spectrum, knew families with special-needs children had to drive to Bellevue or Seattle for summer camps. When she couldn’t get a grant to finance such a camp at Encompass, she worked with Encompass administration to set up a tuition-based program.

Once local families learned about Champ Camp, they enrolled their children in droves. Every Tuesday and Thursday for the month of August, children ages 3 to 6 attended a morning session and ages 7 to 10 participated in an afternoon session, learning about social interactions and going on community outings.

“We needed something that really addressed social skills,” Snoqualmie Valley Schools teacher Kirsten Baxter said. “It’s hard to find camps for these kids that really fit.”

Baxter, who teaches special education children at the Snoqualmie Elementary preschool, partnered with Weed and several volunteers at Champ Camp. Many of the campers had passed through Baxter’s preschool class, and she was familiar with their strengths and areas needing improvement.

She praised the children for learning the names of their Encompass campmates and for remembering important social details, such as looking at someone in the eye and saying hello.

“These kids need to be taught,” Baxter said. “It doesn’t come naturally to them.”

Researchers are still trying to learn the causes of autism, a brain disorder causing people to have challenges with social interaction, communication and repetitive behavior. One Encompass camper would repeatedly ask the same question, but the counselors are using a sign to help the child realize when to stop asking the question.

Baxter and Weed encourage the children to interact with one another, something they can’t get during a private therapy session. When the campers made smoothies, they held a vote about the drink’s ingredients. During another lesson, the campers interviewed each other.

The Champ Camp counselors also wanted their campers to become more familiar with the community, and vice versa.

“It’s important for them to know how to act when they go out of their homes, out of their schools,” Baxter said.

Encompass volunteers — Snoqualmie Middle School sixth-grader Payton Graves and Mount Si freshman Katie McGrath — sat next to the campers at the library. Graves said her younger brother is on the autism spectrum, so she’s used to working with children who have autism.

“They just learn in a different way,” Graves said.

McGrath offered her advice for interacting with people living with autism.

“You should just treat them the same as everyone else,” McGrath said. “When they do good stuff, you should congratulate them and give them positive feedback.”

At the end of the day, the parents were given a syllabus about the day’s activities so they could follow-up with their children and help them practice the skills they had learned.

“You can’t send her to any old camp, so we’re happy they have this camp here,” Carnation resident Kristin Minner said of her daughter, Laura. “She’s ecstatic to be here. She loves any school type setting.”

Not all of the children had autism. Some had speech delays and others, called typical peers, had no development problems and were there just to have fun.

Tracy Marrero, the mother of Justin and Nicolas, said her sons help each other at home.

“They spend so much time together,” Marrero said. “In that sense, Nicolas is a great typical peer, so why not carry it into camp?”

Encompass may continue the camp on a weekly basis throughout the school year. The August camp cost $350 for the entire month, a deal compared to the going rate of a speech language pathologist at $120 per hour.

To learn more about the camp, contact Kari Weed at Encompass at 888-2777 or kari.weed@encompassnw.org.

Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com. To comment on this story, visit www.snovalleystar.com.