Snohomish County NewsTiggles’ day to shine
Doug Ramsay photo
Shaylee Vigil of Marysville runs alongside as her dog Tiggles leaps the 2-foot-high hurdle during a competition at this year’s Mutt Strut at Langus Riverfront Park in Everett on Aug. 29. Tiggles, a 2-year-old beagle, was adopted from the Everett Animal Shelter, Vigil said. Dogs of all breeds had a chance to strut their stuff at the annual Parks and Recreation event that was moved this year to the Smith Island park across from the animal shelter. Along with displays and vendor booths, dogs and their owners participated in a three-mile community dog walk and competed in a number of races and skills events.First catch ever!
Doug Ramsay photo
Bill Clark of Snohomish and his son Jamison, 6, team up to pull in a pink salmon from the Snohomish River on Aug. 28. It was Jamison’s first try at fishing as the two found a spot on the riverbank below First Street in Snohomish. With a high pink salmon run this year, beaches and riverbanks throughout the Puget Sound area are filled with fishermen.
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Katrina survivor helps others find jobs, hope
MONROE - A resource for job hunters just opened up closer to home. Now with affiliation with WorkSource, the center at 19705 U.S. Highway 2 run by the state Department of Social and Health Services has strengthened itself to include an integrated jobs resource center.
What it means to people seeking jobs is that instead of driving to Everett or Lynnwood, there is a fully-staffed career center in Sky Valley. It last was an affiliate five years ago.
At the WorkSource center, there are computer terminals filled with job listings and volunteers to help people build their resumes and find the resources they need. The center also has other amenities and is open to everyone, including people who have a job already.
The center aims to be one-stop shopping, offering not only jobs but referrals to 211, the phone number for access to other resources, said employment specialist Lauri Schwinn.
WorkSource also is the point center for temporary jobs at the Evergreen State Fair, with a jobs booth at the west gate of the Evergreen State Fairgrounds.
One goal for WorkSource is to get people knowledgeable on the power of the Internet, fast becoming the pre-eminent form of employment listings. Some people who have never touched a computer before are learning the ropes at the center, Schwinn said.
The center, which opened Aug. 17, already has seen a huge influx of people, county program director Shelia Dersham said.
People also can find jobs through the program’s Web site, www.go2worksource.com.
Recent success stories include the placement of 240 people at Fred Meyer’s and StockPot Soups, a subsidiary of The Campbell Soup Co., Dersham said.
For employers, WorkSource screens the applicants before referring them so the best candidates are available for the choosing. There is no cost to employers to get listed at WorkSource as federal taxes that businesses pay fund the program, Dersham said.
Catherine Miller of Lake Stevens is one such person seeking work. Miller is working on starting over in the Pacific Northwest after Hurricane Katrina displaced her in 2005. She now volunteers at the center, but her goal is to get a full-time position.
“(It’s) helping awareness and helping people understand there’s hope in this,” Miller said. “There is a light on the other side of the tunnel.”
“They need it, they need encouragement, and they need to see that somebody has walked in their shoes,” Miller said. Advising others makes her feel like she is helping others.
“We see the results — in spite of the economy, it’s rising,” Miller said.
The center in Monroe plans to add career training courses such as improving job interview skills and skills assessment programs as the center’s needs grows. Currently there are training sessions at the Everett and Lynnwood centers, Dersham said.
“So many people are needing help, and help with resumes,” Dersham said. The Everett center is seeing its largest numbers of people yet, Dersham said.
Re-establishing WorkSource at the Monroe DSHS center was a year in the making, DSHS center administrator Bill Dehmer said. The center was previously affiliated with WorkSource from 2001 to 2004.
“Part of it is getting more services to east county — we tend to get ignored out here,” Dehmer said.
The Monroe center primarily has people coming from Monroe, Gold Bar, Sultan, Index and, for some, Snohomish. Before, it took multiple buses to get to the Everett or Lynnwood centers, Dersham said.
The center’s hours are weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except on Wednesdays when the center is closed.
By MICHAEL WHITNEY