Kids at Hope NW Celebrates 10 Years of Hope

Submitted by Cynthia Endicott, Administrative Assistant, Kids at Hope NW.

The Kids at Hope NW Leadership and Advisory Board Members celebrated their 10th anniversary on Friday, November 30th, with a holiday gathering in Steilacoom. The Quarterdeck, The Topside Bar and Grill’s banquet facility, provided the perfect backdrop . Beautifully decorated, warm and inviting, attendees loved it. Best of all were the interactions between “hopeful” people.

New Friends

Ria Johnson Covington, Advisory Board Chairman, introduced Wally Endicott, the Executive Director of Kids at Hope NW. who summarized 2018 activities and achievements including Kids at Hope’s new partnership with Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ where Kids at Hope and ASU have created “The Center for The Advanced Study and Practice of Hope”.

Leaders and Mentors

Wally represented Kids at Hope and ASU as a Presenter at the World Community Development Conference at Maynooth University in Dublin, Ireland expanding the organization’s reach beyond the United States. He currently works with youth development organizations in Washington and Oregon and recently traveled to the Alaska State Principal’s Conference in Anchorage to provide information and support there.

Plans for 2019 include community partnerships in Alaska, South Dakota, Montana, and Uganda. Attendees included leaders from education, juvenile justice, health, early learning, and other community activists.