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Inside
Washington Workforce Portal Officially Launched in PAC Mountain Region
The AWB Institute and partners have expanded the reach of the Washington Workforce Portal , launching it last fall in the PAC Mountain Region . Partners include the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce , South Puget Sound Community College , Saint Martin ’ s University , Olympic College , Grays Harbor College , Centralia College and The Evergreen State College .
This statewide platform serves to connect students across Washington with opportunities to apply for work-based learning jobs and internships . The program allows students to gain invaluable real-world learning experiences towards building a future career , while also building our local talent and workforce .
These opportunities both help students navigate real-world experience in the workplace and aid them in making informed decisions about which career they choose to pursue in their future . When a student has a clearly defined pathway to a career , it can dramatically affect their future earnings
and impact our local economic growth .
Visit the portal at www . washingtonworkforceportal . org .
Emily Shay to Lead Tax and Fiscal Policy for Government Affairs Team
Public policy professional Emily Shay joined AWB ’ s Government Affairs team in January as the new government affairs director for tax and fiscal policy issues .
Shay came to AWB from the Seattle office of Scarlet Oak Strategies , a public affairs and communications firm headquartered in Washington , D . C . She was an associate for the firm , planning public affairs strategies and advocacy for state-based clients in the Pacific Northwest and across the country .
Holiday Kids ’ Tree Project Brings Joy to 27 Rural Communities
AWB continued to work with local chambers of commerce and firefighters to spread Christmas cheer during the 34th annual Holiday Kids ’ Tree project .
Thanks to nearly $ 31,000 in donations from almost 50 AWB members businesses and individuals , we were able to give bags of toys and $ 1,000 checks to firefighters in rural communities from Quilcene to Walla Walla for distribution to local families . A special donation from The Boeing Co . brought toys and a $ 5,000 check to families in Moses Lake . That donation literally left local firefighters speechless .
After he found words , Moses Lake firefighter and paramedic Mike Miner , head of the Firefighters for Kids Foundation , said , “ I grew up poor in the little community of Hillyard , and so I know what it was like having to use agencies like this , or have friends come in and help make Christmas special for us .”
Since 1989 , AWB has raised more than $ 532,000 for families who benefit from this project . Learn more and donate at www . awb . org / initiatives / holiday-kids-tree-project or contact Bonnie Millikan at 360.943.1600 .
She worked previously as a marketing and events intern for Keiretsu Forum , a global investment community , and held internships for both U . S . Sens . Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell . She graduated from the University of Washington with a B . A . in political science .
AWB Communications Department Welcomes Jacqueline Allison
Experienced journalist Jacqueline Allison joined AWB as a communications specialist in January .
Allison has worked as a journalist at several publications in the north Puget Sound region , most recently as a reporter covering agriculture , housing , the environment and politics for The Herald of Everett .
She previously worked as a reporter for the Skagit Valley Herald in Mount Vernon , where she covered AWB ’ s 2019 manufacturing bus tour stop at Broadcast Tools in nearby Sedro-Woolley . She has also worked as a reporter and photographer for the Anacortes American and The Port Townsend Leader newspapers .
Allison graduated from Western Washington University with a double major in journalism and psychology , creative nonfiction and playwriting ( a self-designed interdisciplinary major ).
Zenovia Harris , CEO of the Kent Chamber of Commerce , presents a $ 1,000 Holiday Kids ’ Tree Project check to Captain Martin Oliver of the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority ’ s station in Kent .
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