On April 24, Encompass hosted its second Rise and Thrive Breakfast, bringing together local business, community, and government leaders to support the Encompass vision of a community where all children thrive.
Over 200 people came out to network at the coffee reception, step inside the Encompass Mobile Therapy Unit, and be moved and inspired by the lineup of speakers during the breakfast program.
The event kicked off with Master of Ceremonies Chris Cashman interviewing seven very special guests from Encompass preschool classrooms. When asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, their responses ranged from “a doctor and an astronaut,” to “a rockstar” to “I want to be a firefighter like my daddy.”
The event was headlined by former Seattle Seahawk Ray Roberts, who spoke about the importance of including people of all abilities in sports and in life. Longtime Encompass supporter Mike Flood, vice president of Community Outreach for the Seattle Seahawks, served as Honorary Chair and introduced Roberts as the Keynote Speaker.
Family speaker Jonathan Clark shared his story about how Encompass has helped his family navigate the unexpected journey of Gus, his daughter, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Clark recently formed the first Girl Scout Troop for girls with special needs in the area.
Encompass was honored to have several local civic leaders and guests of honor in the audience: State Representative Paul Graves, King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert, Snoqualmie Tribal Chief Andy de los Angeles and Councilmember Bob de los Angeles, North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing, Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson and Councilmembers Bob Jeans and Katherine Ross (also an Encompass Board Member), Carnation City Councilmember and Mayor Kim Lisk, Issaquah City Councilmember Bill Ramos, Issaquah School Board Director Lisa Callan, Snoqualmie Valley School District School Board President Carolyn Simpson and former Superintendent Joel Aune.
After the program concluded, Cashman recorded a segment about the Encompass Mobile Therapy Unit for his new TV show on Take 5, shooting footage of the van in action and interviewing Encompass Behavioral Health Supervisor Kat Kaiser. The piece aired later that day on KING 5 and can be viewed on YouTube at this link.
Rise and Thrive 2018 would not have been possible without the support of an impressive number of local sponsors: Kaiser Permanente, Nintendo, and Safeway; ABC World Movers and Pioneer Van Lines; Banner Bank, Brown & Sterling Attorneys at Law, CLG Employer Resources, GK Knutson Drywall and Metal Stud Framing Services, Halvorson Construction Group, LLC, Overlake Medical Center, Polygon Northwest Homes, Signal Architecture and Research, SnoSprings School, and Swedish Medical Center Issaquah; Coffee Express-O, Eastside Pediatric Dental Group, Eastside Psychological Associates, Edward Jones, The Goddard School, Huntington Learning Center North Bend, Jensen Fey Architects, Pat L Bohan, CPA, Pay Northwest, Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, and Julia Terlinchamp.
