When you give to The Big Blue Truck™, you’re not only keeping clothing and household goods out of landfills; you’re making employment possible for people of all abilities.

Dani works at Value Village to sort hangers and return clothes from dressing rooms. With the help of an employment coach from Northwest Center, Dani has found success at Value Village. In fact, when you ask her what she likes best about her job, her answer is “Everything!”
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See Dani in action in this short video—and thank you for making it possible for great employees like Dani to find jobs they love!

​​It was a golden day at the 2018 Golden Hearts Luncheon at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle, where attendees gave from their hearts and raised more than $130,000 to support Northwest Center’s school-to-employment Transition Services. Now, more students with disabilities will have the support they need to find the perfect job. ​

Lauren Potter, actress from the hit TV show Glee, was the keynote speaker and received a standing ovation after her emotional speech to the crowd.
 
“I was overwhelmed by the support I received from everybody and was honored to take part because inclusion is so important to me,” Potter says. “It’s awesome that Northwest Center is supporting people like me and providing opportunities for people of all abilities.”
 
Emcee Jordan Steele, KING5 meteorologist and anchor, says supporting employment for people with disabilities is key to business success.
 
“I’ve seen firsthand how businesses thrive when they practice inclusion and provide everyone the opportunity to work,” he says. “I’m honored to be involved with Northwest Center and will do everything I can to get the word out about the great work you all do.”   
 
This year’s recipient of the William O. Ellison Award was The Bradley Family Foundation, which supports educating youth and those with special needs. The award is named for the founder of our valued business partner, Value Village™, and honors a community member for philanthropy and inclusion of people with disabilities.

​Our team had a productive week attending APEC 2018 – The Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition – on March 4-8 in San Antonio, TX. As first-time exhibitors, we were immediately engaged by the variety of activities and professional training sessions made available to attendees.
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On the exposition floor, we had a wonderful time meeting with customers, strengthening partnerships, showing off our capabilities, and checking out the competition. Our booth, which was strategically located next to the food and beverage area, was fully decked out with new signage, a variety of sample parts, fun giveaways, and, of course, free candy bars.