The children’s and family services organization is opening a satellite office in downtown North Bend. The new facility will offer two categories of services: Pediatric therapy programs and family support.

Pediatric therapy programs include in-home therapy for infants and toddlers and in-clinic therapy for children ages 3 to 18. Encompass has offered the service since 2008.

Family support services include walk-in support for families in need, caregiver support for relatives and a local presence for the national Parent-Child Home Program, which is funded by United Way.

The program offers in-home literacy support for parents of infants and toddlers.

The new facility is at 209 Main Ave. S., and will open Oct. 3. Encompass is hosting an open house at the office from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Nov. 7.

The other two sites are the Encompass Main Campus, operating since 1996 at 1407 Boalch Ave. N.W., North Bend, and Encompass Issaquah, an office within Blakely Hall, 2550 N.E. Park Drive in the Issaquah Highlands, which opened this month.

A few bananas, a few wheels and the children of North Bend have a blast, too.

The Banana Boogie returned for the third year in a row to the North Bend Block Party. Children built cars with bananas and then raced them down a sloped platform and it was hard to tell who was having more fun, the grown-ups or the children.

“We all have fun,” said Stacy Cepeda of Encompass, which organizes the children’s events at the block party. “We try to take care of children and we have a great time.”

For safety’s sake, those volunteering were wearing bright orange shirts, Cepeda said, making Encompass volunteers easy for parents and children to identify.

The weather was so nice, even “emergencies” were handled with a smile. Kim Zinter from Fall City Pony Farm didn’t even flinch when one of her miniature horses went potty in mid-booth.

Even those not exactly dressed for the occasion enjoyed the shindig.

Totz the Frog, from Totz Drop ‘n’ Play Center, received hug after hug although she was dressed in a thick costume and the temperature kept climbing.

On the other end of the sartorial spectrum were the Mount Si High School wrestlers, sitting in a dunk tank with shorts on. When little girls weren’t throwing balls at them, they were dunking each other.

Then there was Joshua Jensen, making batch after batch of kettle corn, enduring insufferable heat, and much to his delight, selling bag after bag, too.

“It’s just now that a you catch me taking a break,” said Jensen, his forehead glistening with sweat. “Last year was good, too.”

Jensen was planning to stay the whole nine hours of the block party, he said. His wife might show up later, he added, but not to work.

“Just because she likes me,” he said.

But the once sleepy city isn’t the only part of the Valley that has seen dramatic change in the past decade.

All of the Snoqualmie Valley has changed. Its complexion has darkened. While still predominantly white, the Valley has a growing minority population.

An influx of foreign-born immigrants into King County has contributed to that growing population.

The Valley’s immigrants face many challenges in adapting to their new communities. Language and cultural barriers make finding work and forming local ties to the nonimmigrant population difficult for some.

The Valley’s communities and school district have adapted to meet the needs of the new residents. Services have been created or expanded to help immigrants.

Snoqualmie Ridge fueled changes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Snoqualmie Ridge has fueled the population explosion in the Valley, and its picturesque streets have helped change the complexion of the city and the upper Valley.

“Snoqualmie Ridge has undoubtedly attracted a population that’s much more like the new population coming to King County,” said Chandler Felt, a demographer with King County.

That new population is more diverse in its ethnicity and place of birth. The county’s population growth has been driven more by immigration than births.

“So, some of those migrants probably came to Snoqualmie,” Felt said.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Snoqualmie’s foreign-born population is about 11 percent, according to data collected by the U.S. Census from 2005 to 2009.

The Ridge’s population is also less white than the rest of Snoqualmie. About 82.9 percent of Ridge residents are white, compared to 86.3 percent in historic Snoqualmie.

North Bend’s white population is 90.7 percent of the city.

The changing demographics haven’t created any tensions for either city, but they did prompt an international incident for Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson.

In 2005, Larson signed a decree in support of a local group of Falun Gong adherents. It was a backroom affair, one that he does for many local groups each year.

But unlike most community groups in Snoqualmie, Falun Gong is banned by China. Since 1999, the Chinese government has persecuted its adherents.

Shortly after signing the decree, Larson was visited by members of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco. They demonized Falun Gong as a criminal organization and asked him to revoke his decree.

“I politely explained to them that we have something here called the Constitution,” Larson said.

Struggling for opportunities

Coming to the Snoqualmie Valley was like “a dream” for Hiwot Wondemagegen. In 2003, she and her husband, Ashenafi, moved to the Valley from Ethiopia with their 5-month-old daughter.

A family friend from Ethiopia who moved to Fall City sponsored them for immigration officials. At first, they lived with him and his wife, who is American. Now, the couple lives in Snoqualmie with their daughter and 4-year-old son.

They have struggled at times to feel at home in their new community, but have developed a network of friends made up of immigrants and nonimmigrants.

Finding work can be hard for immigrants, especially for those who don’t speak English well.

Ashenafi was able to find a job shortly after the couple arrived. Hiwot is a stay-at-home mother.

Both had careers in Ethiopia. Ashenafi was an architect, and Hiwot was an accountant. Today, Ashenafi works as an attendant at a gas station and takes night classes in applied design at Lake Washington Technical College.

Hiwot doesn’t regret giving up her career to come to the U.S. The couple didn’t come to find opportunities for themselves. They came so their children could have opportunities.

“I want my kids to grow up in the land of opportunity,” she said.

Moving here was an easy decision to make, but living here hasn’t always been easy for the couple. Like many immigrants, they have struggled with language and cultural barriers.

“English is my second language, so I just try to say it slower” to avoid misunderstandings, Hiwot said.

American culture has taken getting used to. Neighbors are more private in the Valley, compared to Ethiopia.

“It’s not easy to know people the way you did in Ethiopia,” she said.

But the couple has developed a strong social network, including some fellow Ethiopians.

For the couple’s children, the Valley is the only home they have ever known.

Education, English are important

The Wondemagegens’ experience is typical for many of the immigrants that Gresia Bratton meets at Encompass, where she is a family support specialist.

“We get people who come here from everywhere,” but they share some common threads, she said.

An immigrant’s educational background greatly affects his or her experience. Immigrants with more education and a better grasp of English have an easier time establishing themselves in the Valley.

“Having a stable education background, that gives you something to work with,” Bratton said.

Other immigrants with less education and a weaker grasp of English face far greater challenges in finding work and becoming part of their new communities.

The “hardest part about living in the Valley is finding work,” Gabriela Escobar, a Snoqualmie housewife, said in Spanish. “I think people worry too much about whether you are here legally.”

Escobar, who speaks only broken English, hasn’t found steady work since moving to the U.S. from Mexico six years ago.

Her husband and relatives have also had difficulty finding work due to their limited English, she said.

Not speaking English also limits their social interactions.

“We interact almost totally with Latinos,” she said. “We don’t deal with immigrants from other parts of the world, and we don’t deal much with Americans.”

Fitting in at school

Snoqualmie Valley schools have had to adapt to meet the needs of the growing immigrant community, especially those who don’t speak English well.

Karen Schotzko heads up the school district’s program to teach English to non-native speakers.

Without a good grasp of English, students can quickly fall behind and become isolated.

“It’s difficult to understand the content, and they have a hard time communicating with teachers,” Schotzko said.

She works with 116 students spread throughout the district, helping them learn what she calls “academic” English — the language of the classroom.

“If their class is studying the weather next week, we go in and teach them the vocabulary they need — precipitation, cloud,” Schotzko said. “So, when the teacher teaches the weather system in class, you understand what’s being taught.”

Like the rest of Snoqualmie Valley’s immigrant population, Schotzko’s students come from a wide array of backgrounds, speaking more than 25 native languages.

“Certainly having a bilingual program is not an option,” she said.

Still, the largest group is Spanish speakers, who make up a little less than half of her students. More than 5 percent of the Valley is Hispanic or Latino.

Several students are Korean, but the rest are a mix including Chinese, Finnish, Indian and French.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com. Reporter Sebastian Moraga contributed to this story.

Children at Encompass who show up on Saturdays for a four-hour play session at the preschool build a network of friends that lasts for years and a stronger, closer family at home.

Just ask parents who are getting four child-free hours almost 50 Saturdays a year.

“Pretty much every Saturday night, it gives my husband and I four hours to have a date night or just quiet time together,” said Deb Bayley, mom of a 5- and a 7-year old. “We love it.”

Asked if she felt bad the first Saturday she dropped her children off at Encompass about three years ago, she laughs.

“Are you kidding me? I couldn’t wait to drop ‘em off!” she said.

Encompass’ Childcare Co-Op accepts children as young as a year and a half and as old as 10.

“The day she turned 18 months old,” Bayley said of her daughter, “I was like, ‘OK, we’re on.’”

Parents must join Encompass first and submit to a background check before they can participate. They can’t just walk in off the street and drop tots off, said Mary McManus, community activities assistant.

Two Saturdays a year, once in winter and once in summer, the four-hour session becomes an overnight session. The winter session is Feb. 12, two days prior to Valentine’s Day.

Besides allowing the obvious date night for parents, children will do crafts, have a slumber party and watch a kid-friendly “love” movie, like “Herbie The Love Bug,” said Stacey Cepeda, community activities manager.

The sessions, overnight or four-hour, are gleefully unstructured, with something for everybody, Cepeda said.

“Miss Dawn,” Bayley said of Encompass’ Dawn Alwin, who plans the co-op’s activities, “is wonderful with the kids. My oldest goes there and she has beads for them, and for the younger kids she does age-appropriate arts and crafts.”

The co-op can grow longtime friendships for children and parents, in particular those who are new to the Valley, building a community of people they otherwise could not have, Cepeda said.

“I know my kids have spent years with families who will know them when they are in high school,” she said.

Bayley is not a stranger to the Eastside, having grown up in Bellevue, but the co-op still broadens her children’s circle.

“We don’t know a lot of the kids, because we’re in a private school,” she said. “So, it’s kind of nice to form ties with the public-school kids, too.”

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

Snoqualmie Valley groups received more than $350,000 from the Snoqualmie Tribe in its first disbursement of mitigation money from the tribe-owned Snoqualmie Casino.

The payments were based on the casino’s proceeds from its opening in November 2008 through 2009. They are required as part of the tribe’s compact with Washington state.

Representatives from the tribe, Snoqualmie, King County and the state evaluated the applicants.

The tribe was able to provide money to all of the groups that applied, according to Tribal Administrator Matt Mattson.

The payments were audited by the Washington State Gambling Commission.

The following organizations received money: Encompass ($40,000), Mount Si Food Bank ($20,000), Mt. Si Senior Center ($59,638), Snoqualmie Valley Community Network ($35,200), Snoqualmie Valley Transportation ($85,243) and the future Snoqualmie Valley YMCA-operated community center ($116,667).

The tribe will likely have more money to pay out next year. The casino’s first year was hurt by the bad economy.

“The recession impacted projected revenue substantially and that, by extension, reduced the amount of mitigation money available for distribution,” Mattson said. “We are doing better than last year, but we do not have estimates.”

Regardless of the difference between actual and projected revenues, officials with the recipient groups are grateful for the money.

“We really appreciate the support of our local community partners, such as the tribe,” Encompass Director Gregory Malcolm said.

The support will help Encompass continue to provide services, which have been in greater demand during the recession. In 2008-2009, the organization served nearly 4,300 individuals and families, an increase of more than 1,500 from the previous year.

The money will support programs including Encompass’ accredited preschool program, Latino-specific services and therapy for children with developmental delays, according to Malcolm.

The application process was similar to applying for a grant, he said.

In addition to the mitigation money, the tribe also donated money to the following groups: Carnation Farmers Market ($10,000), the Sammamish-based Chris Elliott Fund ($85,000) and the Carnation-based Snoqualmie Valley Senior Center ($15,000). The tribe gave $15,000 to support fundraising for the future YMCA. The Festival at Mount Si, Issaquah Salmon Days and Snoqualmie Railroad Days also each received $5,000.

The Snoqualmie Tribe is dedicated to being a good neighbor, and the donations are indicative of that, Mattson said.

This fall, the tribe will take applications for 2010 mitigation funds, which will be given out in mid-201l. For information, call 425-888-6551 or visit www.snoqualmienation.com.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tosses a Seahawks football with 4-year-old Jaxson McGehe, of Fall City, at Encompass, where he presented a check for $2,000 from Bonneville International. (Photo by Clay Eals)

If symptoms of Seahawk’s fever include sporting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck jerseys and getting high fives from Blitz, the Seahawk’s mascot, then Encompass might have the highest Seahawks temperature in all of the Snoqualmie Valley.

The North Bend preschool, summer camp, family service center and resource for children with developmental disorders won the Bonneville International April 2010 Charity of the Month contest. Bonneville International owns 97.3 KIRO FM, 770 KTTH AM and 710 ESPN Seattle, as well as the website, MyNorthwest.com.

Hasselbeck chats with 4-year-old Riley Hyde, of Snoqualmie, at Encompass. (Photo by Clay Eals)

As Charity of the Month, Encompass received a $2,000 check, several promotional annoncements on Bonneville International’s radio stations and website, and the most coveted prize of all: a visit from Hasselbeck and Blitz.

One of Encompass’ own nominated the center for the prize. Mike Flood, vice president of Seahawks community relations and husband of Encompass’ Finance Coordinator Marty Flood, submitted Encompass’ name for the contest, calling it his favorite charity in the entire Puget Sound region.

During his April 27 visit, Hasselbeck chatted with Encompass’ 3- and 4-year-old preschoolers as they showed him their art projects and toys.

He even helped 4-year-old Griffin Waller feed the classroom fish and played catch with 4-year-old Jaxson McGehe.

“Everyone has been very nice,” Hasselbeck said. “The kids have good manners. Everyone’s impressive, everyone’s been very respectful.”

When Blitz, the big blue Seahawk hit the scene, Hasselbeck introduced him as a goofy friend.

“He’s kind of like Cookie Monster,” Hasselbeck said. “He’s very nice.”

That was all it took. Soon, children were giggling as Blitz ruffled their hair and drew with preschoolers at their coloring table.

“This is just so much fun for the kids,” Early Learning Manager Kristina Steffen said.

Frank Shiers, of 97.3 FM, commended Encompass for its positive impact on the community, especially for empowering parents and families who have children with special needs.

Encompass Executive Director Gregory Malcolm thanked Bonneville International for its attention to local organizations, saying he was “truly honored.”

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

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.

The dinners will be held at Willows Lodge Feb. 25, Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club Feb. 26, Terra Vista at Snoqualmie Casino March 2 and Maggiano’s Little Italy in Bellevue March 4.

To view complete menus or to register, visit www.encompassnw.org and select “Sip of Snoqualmie.”

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.Parents can sign up for a free parenting class at Encompass to learn evidence-based strategies. Parents can learn how to better communicate with their children, solve behavior problems and conflicts, teach children proper social behavior and increase their children’s self-esteem.

The class meets from 6-8 p.m. every Tuesday for eight weeks from Feb. 9 to Mar. 30 at Encompass’ main campus, 1407 Boalch Ave. N.W., North Bend. Encompass offers free childcare during the class, which is led by parent educators Angelyn Elliott and Sue Mocker. Call Encompass at 425-888-2777 to register.

Beymer said the class teaches parents a new skill each week, with instructors assigning real-life homework assignments.

“We ask parents to go home and practice and then we debrief about what works, what doesn’t and how we think we could do it better,” she said.

The class is being funded with a grant from King County.

Although the class does not address drug or alcohol use, it teaches skills that reduce substance use among children.

“We know that families that have good family management skills have kids who are less likely to use drugs and alcohol,” Beymer said. “The fewer family conflicts that happen in the home, the less likely the children are to use drugs and alcohol.”

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

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

The institute will use the money to support a variety of research, including new therapies for type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis, according to the classic’s Web site.

Previously, the classic had donated money to the Heart Institute at Virginia Mason, Tournament Director? Michelle DeLancy?said.

The classic partners with several organizations, such as North Bend’s Encompass, and allows them to use the classic as a platform for raising money, DeLancy?said.

In 2008, Encompass received $5,000 from Boeing Classic and $20,000 from the PGA Tour, said Clay Eals, spokesman for Encompass.

Encompass is a preschool, summer camp, family service center and a resource for children with developmental disorders.

Last year, Encompass participated in the Birdies for Charity, which allows individuals to pledge money for every birdie made during the classic.

Four Encompass children also participated in The Boeing Classic Kid’s Clinic and watched U.S. Senior Open Champion and golf legend Fred Funk and his 13-year-old son in the Charles Schwab Youth Clinic, Eals said.

While plans have yet to be confirmed for 2010, “We’re very hopeful to stay connected with them,” Eals said.

The Boeing Classic is from Aug. 23-29 at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Visit www.boeingclassic.com to learn more.

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

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.

“We’re thrilled over here,” said Encompass Director of Program Development Nela Cumming. “We’re planning to use it for our summer camps and fieldtrips and youth programming we’re hoping to start.”

In addition to helping 7 to 9 year olds at summer camp, the Encompass’ new van will be used for the Birth-to-Three Early Intervention and Family Support programs for transporting donated items to families and making family visits, according to a news release. Encompass will be able to pick up the van in Redmond in early January.

When Cumming called Summer Camp Manager Julie Forslin to tell her the good news, Forslin started screaming with delight.

“This has been a dream for a couple of years now,” Cumming said.

Until now, Encompass has used the Mount Si Senior Center’s Snoqualmie Valley Transportation shuttle for transporting children on trips here or there. The new van will be made available to Encompass in early January, according to a news release.

The retired vans have been part of Metro Transit’s vanpool fleet for at least six years and have reached the end of their service life. When the vans reach this age, they are considered surplus and sold.

The council approved the donation in a unanimous Dec. 14 vote. County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, who represents Snoqualmie and North Bend, praised the action.

“These retired vans are going to nonprofit organizations that represent the compassion and diversity we have in King County,” Lambert said in a news release. “In District 3, the vans will help meet the transportation needs of low-income families building their own homes with Habitat for Humanity of Redmond, at-risk youth involved in programs with Encompass in North Bend, and school-age children all over King County who participate in the environmental education programs at the Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall.”

Lambert plans to visit Encompass in 2010 to see the van in use, Encompass spokesman Clay Eals said.

Since 1995, the County Council has donated retired Vanpool vehicles to local nonprofits. The groups are then responsible for licensing, insuring and maintaining the vans.

“Extending the useful life of these vans provides many organizations with the mobility options they deserve,” Council Vice Chairwoman Jane Hague, who sponsored the ordinance, said in a release. “Each organization now has a way of getting more people to more places.”

Reporter Warren Kagarise contributed to this report.

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

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.

“We’re thrilled over here,” said Encompass Director of Program Development Nela Cumming. “We’re planning to use it for our summer camps and fieldtrips and youth programming we’re hoping to start.”

When Cumming called Summer Camp Manager Julie Forslin to tell her the good news, Forslin started screaming with delight, she said.

“This has been a dream for a couple of years now,” Cumming said.

Until now, Encompass has used the Mount Si Senior Center shuttle for transporting children. The van will be made available to Encompass in early January, according to a news release.

The retired vans have been part of Metro Transit’s vanpool fleet for at least six years and have reached the end of their service life. When the vans reach this age, they are considered surplus and sold.

The council approved the donation in a unanimous Dec. 14 vote. County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, who represents Snoqualmie and North Bend, praised the action.

“These retired vans are going to nonprofit organizations that represent the compassion and diversity we have in King County,” Lambert said in a news release. “In District 3, the vans will help meet the transportation needs of low-income families building their own homes with Habitat for Humanity of Redmond, at-risk youth involved in programs with Encompass in North Bend, and school-age children all over King County who participate in the environmental education programs at the Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall.”

Since 1995, the County Council has donated retired Vanpool vehicles to local nonprofits. The groups are then responsible for licensing, insuring and maintaining the vans.

“Extending the useful life of these vans provides many organizations with the mobility options they deserve,” Council Vice Chairwoman Jane Hague, who sponsored the ordinance, said in a release. “Each organization now has a way of getting more people to more places.”

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.

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.

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. Contributed by Clay Eals.

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.

Ben Rogers listens to sixth-grader Payton Graves read to him during a Champ Camp field trip to the North Bend Library.

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.

Safer schools, decreased drug use and better mental health services were just three elements Snoqualmie Valley hoped to improve with a federal grant called the Safe Schools – Healthy Students Initiative. 

The federal grant would have given Snoqualmie Valley $1.5 million per year for four years, totaling $6 million. But, on July 10, the federal government announced its grant recipients, and the Valley was not included on the list.

“It would have made a huge difference,” Snoqualmie Valley Community Network Executive Director Kristy Sullivan said. 

The network worked with the Snoqualmie Valley School District to apply for the grant and included other stakeholders, including the Riverview School District, Friends of Youth, Encompass, law enforcement agencies and more. 

Snoqualmie Valley School District employees had high hopes for the programs they could have implemented with the grant money.

“It was huge,” school district Student Services Director Nancy Meeks said. “It would have been so great.”

“It was a fairly substantial grant,” Snoqualmie Valley Superintendent Joel Aune said. “With the budget challenges we’re facing and resources being so scarce, there are some needs out there we simply can’t address.”

Aune said the grant could have started programs instrumental to the district, such as staff development and training and writing protocols that could be used in the long-term. 

Even though the network did not receive the grant, Sullivan said there was a silver lining.

“What this grant helped us do was to start a dialogue with different partners,” Sullivan said. “That community dialogue has helped us move in a better direction.”

Aune agreed.

“It’s helped us to do some thinking, maybe a little deeper thinking, about student needs, staff needs, community needs and how we might go about better addressing those needs,” he said.

Safe Schools – Healthy Students

For the past 10 years, the federal Education, Justice and Health and Human Services departments have offered the Safe Schools – Healthy Students grant, awarding more than $2.1 billion to educational, mental health, law enforcement and juvenile justice partnerships. 

Last year, about 60 communities across the country received the grant, a number the government halved this year because of budget cuts.

Snoqualmie Valley Community Network Grant and Program Evaluator Jan-Olov Johansson, Ph.D. said that it is hard to receive such a grant on the first try, especially since the government received 422 applications and only accepted 29 of them. Communities with high rates of violence and diversity tend to have better chances receiving the grant, Johansson said.

If the grant is offered again next year, Johansson said the network would likely work with the Snoqualmie Valley School District to reapply. 

The grant would have helped Snoqualmie Valley youth in five major ways. The grant requires recipients use the funds to increase school safety, decrease alcohol, tobacco and substance use, offer behavioral, social and emotional support to students, make available mental health services and collaborate with early childhood development agencies.

Johansson helped Skagit County receive a $7.8 million Safe Schools – Healthy Students four-year grant in 2005. 

The grant helped Skagit develop its emergency response to multiple types of emergencies within its 35 schools, from gang violence to natural disasters.

“Each school had a team that could assess any threat,” Johansson said, adding that each team had school administrators, counselors, teachers, law enforcement and emergency responders. 

In a four-year period, the grant money provided anti-bullying training for more than 2,000 students. At the upper level, Skagit County used to have only 4.5 prevention intervention specialists who helped students deal with substance problems. The grant money increased that number to about 15 specialists, so now every middle and high school had one. 

“What that means in numbers is in 2004, there were 275 youth that received prevention intervention services,” Johansson said. “In 2009, we had close to 1,200.”

Similar programs would have been implemented in Snoqualmie Valley. For instance, the grant could have increased Snoqualmie Valley schools prevention intervention specialists from two part-time specialists to 4.5.

The money would have also helped early-education students at places like Encompass learn anti-bullying and harassment lessons, which would have given the young students the necessary vocabulary to address these issues as they matured.

The grant would have helped the Valley better integrate services to help children who are falling between the cracks because they have emotional, truancy, substance abuse or other problems. Interventions at specific grade levels are not enough — the entire school district and community need to be engaged, Johansson said.

“If we do one-shot deals and continue to press the burden on one of the sectors, like the schools or the law enforcement, the likelihood we will be successful in addressing this is going to be minimal,” Johansson said.

Despite the Snoqualmie Valley School District’s losing bid for the grant, Aune thanked the network for helping it apply for the grant. Larger school districts have grant writers on staff, but Snoqualmie Valley cannot yet afford to fund such a position. 

“For us, to be able to form a partnership with the network in terms of pursuing these grant opportunities, that’s a real benefit for the school district,” Aune said. 

Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit Encompass programs and students.

The organization’s staff are still assessing how much it has been affected by state budget cuts, and said any donations would help with the operation of the center. 

Encompass serves the Valley in a number of ways. It helps children with developmental problems from birth to age 3, offers preschool services, youth camps, parenting classes and more.

Former ‘Evening Magazine’ TV personality John Curley stopped by Encompass May 13 and will be at the Queen for a Day fundraiser.

“Funds raised from this event will help us continue our programs that nurture children, enrich families and inspire community,” Development Project Manager Kristin Webb said. “It’s a tough year for funding, so we’re relying more on private donations.”

Encompass has high expectations for the fundraiser, and so do its guests. 

“I truly believe in what encompass does and feel it’s a great cause,” said North Bend resident Patricia Bennett, whose son has attended Encompass’ summer camps. “My husband and I have selected Encompass as the organization we support.”

Bennett has attended Queen for a Day since it opened at TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge and then moved to The Westin Seattle, before settling at The Westin Bellevue. 

“I like the camaraderie with the other women,” Bennett said. “I’m so grateful that my son is healthy that I want to support an organization that helps other kids realize their full potential.”

This year’s Queen for a Day begins at 11:30 a.m. May 31 with a champagne and mimosa reception, followed by a brunch at 12:30 p.m. The guests will then engage in a treasure hunt — otherwise known as a silent auction — and may win several door prizes throughout the program, led by emcee former “Evening Magazine” host John Curley.

“He’s just a great guy, very high-energy,” Webb said. “You can tell he has a passion for children, which lends itself nicely to our cause.”

After a short informational video about Encompass, Magan Cromar will tell her Encompass story. Cromar, the Encompass Birth to Three Program Manager, gave birth to a baby girl with a cleft pallet last August. Cromar used the services offered at Encompass to help her family manage with her daughter’s development.

“She’s got a really inspiring story to tell,” Webb said. “To actually go through it personally is really powerful.”

Women will also learn about fashion, beauty and culinary arts with presentations from Origins, White House/Black Market and Oil & Vinegar.

Snoqualmie firefighters will escort the women at the end of the day, before the naming of the duchess of luck, love and leisure and the queen. The queen will win a prize package of a Kitchen Aid appliance, four hours of massage therapy and a gift basket from Origins, among other gifts. 

Those who plan to stay the night will get special deals at The Westin Bellevue and on local nightlife events.

Guests must make a minimum donation of $150 to attend Queen for a Day. To learn more, call Madeline Fish at 888-2777. 

Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.

For some people who are already struggling financially, the Jan. 7 flood in the Valley was particularly hard-hitting, and Encompass wants to help.

At a Monday, Jan. 12, Encompass Board Meeting, North Bend City Administrator and Encompass board member Duncan Wilson proposed establishing a special fund to help people affected by the flood. Donations for the Encompass Flood Relief Fund can now be made at any Bank of America branch in the state. A full 100 percent of the money donated will go back to families in need, and donations are tax-deductable.

Families in need can contact Encompass at 888-2777.

Encompass Communications Officer Clay Eals said that at least one organization has already contacted him about making a contribution to the flood relief fund, but more support from the public is needed.

“It is particularly difficult now, when something like a flood occurs in conjunction with the sour economic climate, when people are challenged without having a job and have something like a flood on top of that,” Eals said.

Many of the people hit hardest by the flood are renters who lived in apartments and trailers near the Snoqualmie River, said family support manager Kerry Beymer. Some of these people have already received help from Encompass programs.

Beymer said Encompass has been in contact with several families who have been completely or temporarily displaced by the storm.

Lost food is among the problems faced by low-income flood victims, after power outages cut off refrigerators and food spoiled. For people on fixed incomes, who might rely on food stamps, replacing lost food is an extra burden. Beymer said the state would issue additional food stamps for flood victims, which should help.

Some families have a hard time absorbing any extra costs. Even purchasing cleaning supplies can be a hardship. Encompass has already distributed 30 cleanup kits, which were provided by the Salvation Army. The cleanup kits contain bleach and other cleaning supplies to help people clean homes damaged by the flood. Eals said that the Encompass cleanup kits were gone in less than a day.

The city of Snoqualmie has also received cleanup kits and has distributed them to the community. Eals said that Encompass was supposed to receive additional cleanup kits. 

Beymer said that renters who were displaced by the floods have a harder time than homeowners, who can receive Federal Emergency Management Agency loans or other federal assistance to pay for flood recovery. Renters cannot get this sort of aid. The displaced renters often find themselves at the mercy of their landlords, waiting to move back into apartments, homes and trailers after already paying rent for the month and having nowhere else to go. Some renters are staying in hotels and motels and using vouchers. Others have to couch-surf.

“We are encouraging people to donate money and also to come and let us know, or to call and tell us how we can help them,” Beymer said.

All of the money collected for flood relief goes to families impacted by the floods, according to Eals.

For more information about flood assistance visit the www.encompassnw.org, or call 425-888-2777.

Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 425-392-6434 Ext. 248.

Times are financially tight for the state of Washington, especially for K-12 education and the Department of Early Learning.

With a $5.8 billion deficit, a newly proposed budget by Governor Chris Gregoire has a string of cuts amounting to about $3 billion in the 2009-11 state budget. If passed by the Legislature, these cuts would impact both the Snoqualmie Valley School District and Encompass of North Bend.

School district administrators are still assessing exactly how the proposed budget would affect Snoqualmie Valley, but much of their attention is focused on the fate of two funds — one that reduces class size and one that funds teacher wage increases. 

Superintendent Joel Aune said Initiative 728, a fund that reduces class sizes, increases learning opportunities for students and provides professional development for staff, supplies salaries for 30 teachers. 

Statewide, the governor has proposed cutting $178 million from Initiative 728, which would translate into about $600,000 less for Snoqualmie Valley. 

“We utilize the bulk of those 728 funds to fund teachers, which translates into class size reduction,” Aune said.

The suggested budget also calls for the suspension of Initiative 732, which funds cost of living adjustments for teachers. Statewide, this would save $350 million. 

With all of these cuts, Aune said he was still grateful for other areas that retained funding. The two learning improvement days — days in which teachers can focus on school improvement plans — were in danger of losing financial support. But in the end, the governor chose to leave them untouched.

“To leave those two days intact was certainly positive,” Aune said. 

The state Legislature will tackle the budget in the upcoming session. The Snoqualmie Valley PTSA plans to visit Olympia in February to call for increased school funding. People can also contact their representatives to comment on the budget.

“We’re responsible and committed to doing the very best that we can to support our students,” Aune said. “My biggest concern is we don’t undo so much of the good work that was done in the last 10 years.”

Encompass is also facing cuts. The governor’s proposed budget would force Encompass to rely more on private fundraising to finance its programs.

“It changes how we have to operate,” said Terry Granillo, Encompass director of finance.

In the proposed budget, Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP) funding is flat, which is the same thing as a cut, Granillo said. 

ECEAP provides education and assistance to 36 low-income children living with developmental disabilities. The families of these children also receive assistance from Encompass.

“It’s a critical program,” said Paula Nelson, ECEAP family support specialist. “It gives (the children) the head start or boost they need to enter into kindergarten.”

The only other Snoqualmie Valley ECEAP provider, Riverview School District, offers 18 spots in Carnation.

Without additional state funding, Encompass will have to pay for increases in general costs, including supplies, utilities and wage adjustments. 

Family Support activities, such as Parent Education, Alcohol & Other Drug programs and Kinship will be flatly funded or suspended.

The Child Care Resource and Referral would be cut entirely from the state budget, but would continue to receive federal funds for the Washington Scholars Program.

Child Care Resource and Referral offers technical assistance to Encompass’ Play and Learn Group and also helps it stay on track for its national accreditation for preschool renewal. 

Without Child Care Resource and Referral, Encompass would have to use its own resources to preserve its services and accreditation. 

The budget also fails to address Early Intervention programs. King County Developmental Disabilities Division is required to provide services to families with children experiencing developmental disabilities. But the program is under funded — Encompass was not even paid for its services in these areas for the month of November, Granillo said.

“We are the only EI (Early Intervention) provider in the Valley, so by impacting Encompass, these funding shortfalls directly impact children and their families in our community,” Granillo said.

A better way to fund Early Intervention would be to provide money on a per-child basis instead of giving an insufficient flat sum to agencies like Encompass, Granillo said. 

Overall, funding for the Department of Early Learning will increase 4 percent. Some of those increases will go toward the homeless care subsidy, which would help Encompass staff refer homeless families to agencies receiving these funds.

Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.