More than $130,000 raised at the Golden Hearts Luncheon

Keynote speaker Lauren Potter and emcee Jordan Steele (center) spend time with Northwest Center staff and board members at the Golden Hearts Luncheon.

Northwest Center President and CEO Gene Boes with Carl Bradley of the Carl Bradley Foundation, winner of the 2018 William O. Ellison Award.

​​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.

Many thanks to the generous sponsors who made the Golden Hearts Luncheon a success: Value Village, MCM, Amazon, Mariners Care, MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions, Brown & Brown Insurance Seattle, Pacific Office Automation, BECU, Washington Capital Management, Inc., KeyBank, Juniper Capital, Minuteman Press of Redmond, Terra Staffing Group, Slalom, Moss Adams, Ricoh, TEGNA Foundation, and KING5.