Community Extra: Applause

Smokey Point office helps Toys for Tots

While Toys for Tots coordinators organize and manage the campaign, the ultimate success depends on the support of the local community and the generosity of the people who donate toys, said Dr. Devin Brossard, owner of Symmetry Chiropractic of Smokey Point.

Brossard’s office was a Toys for Tots drop-off location before Christmas. The clinic also waived first-day fees for those who donated $25 to Toys for Tots. Current patients and neighboring businesses also donated toys. The clinic gave Toys for Tots a full donation box and $650.

Boeing fund helps Assistance League

The Assistance League of Everett provides new school clothes to nearly 4,000 poverty-level children through its Operation School Bell facility. That adds up to around 90,000 pieces of clothing to keep track of, said Assistance League spokeswoman Margaret Bright.

Thanks to the Employees Community Fund of Boeing, Operation School Bell has a new computerized inventory system.

“It is working extremely well and has significantly streamlined and enhanced the process of serving children,” Bright said. “Virtually, at any time, we can query the database and determine number of children served, by school district, school, gender and grade level. The information gathered is more accurate and more complete and we are serving children more efficiently and faster.”

Whittier students give to mission

The students from Patti Ingalls’ first and second grade class from Whittier Elementary School in Everett saved and collected money for the month of November and donated $135 to the annual Thanksgiving meal hosted at the Everett Gospel Mission.

Fire 1 Foundation makes donations

County-wide food bank programs benefitted in December from a $10,000 donation from the Fire 1 Foundation, a nonprofit community service organization founded by the employees of Snohomish County Fire District 1.

Over the years, Fire District 1 firefighters have raised more than $70,000 for the Volunteers of America food bank programs.

The Fire 1 Foundation also supports other community service programs including:

The Fire District 1 Good Neighbor Fund to help meet human services needs firefighters see in the course of responding to calls; a program in which firefighters can distribute vouchers for free taxi rides to patients taken to the hospital who don’t have any other way to get home; scholarships for fire service technology students; and programs that aid fire victims including Support 7 and the Snohomish County Red Cross.

Soroptimists give to pregnancy service

Next Step, a medical pregnancy support center in Lynnwood, offers services and distributes a variety of clothing and diapers to pregnant women and new mothers.

One of the groups that supports the center is the Sno-King Soroptimist Club. The Soroptimist women put together baby layette baskets and donate them to the agency for its clients. The layettes are valued at about $150 each and include items a new mother will need for her baby. Next Step gives out more than 100 newborn layettes a year.

More information is at www.nextstepnw.com.

Donations made to foster children

Foster Children with Compass Health were not forgotten this past holiday season, staff reported.

Each child in the program was sponsored and received a gift they requested.

Among the organizations contributing were Sleep Country, Sonitrol Pacific, Everett Chorale, Coast Real Estate, MixPo and New Life Four Square Church Woman’s Group.

To submit news for Applause, email newstips@heraldnet.com or leave a message for reporter Melissa Slager at 425-339-3432.

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