TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GREAT HIRES, WATCH THE VIDEO
Flex Office or Storage Space Available
AtWork! has flex office or storage space available for lease in The Hallock Building, located at 1935 152nd Place NE, in Bellevue. The location is minutes from the Microsoft campus, close to restaurants and retail, has convenient access to SR-520, a separate entrance, free parking, and we are offering a bonus discount for non-profit use.
Click here for more information and pictures (PDF).
Hear two employers talk about the positive impact of hiring people with disabilities
Two new videos showcase employers who have hired AtWork! clients.
Facilities Manager Sean Schwendler talks about the opportunity to hire Hayden on the custodial crew at the Washington Square condominium complex in downtown Bellevue.
Mark Sjolund, Manager for Dunn Lumber in Bellevue, talks about the value of hiring a person with disabilities and the impact AtWork! client Darwin has on his co-workers.
Learn more about the benefits to your business of hiring a person with disabilities on the Employer Services page of this website.
AtWork! Goes to the Movies
November 10th, the City of Issaquah's Resource Conservation Office held its quarterly Sustainability Movie Night, showing the movie Addicted to Plastic, which showcases three years of filming in five continents, including two trips to the Pacific Ocean. The documentary explores the history of plastic during the last 100 years, as well as current solutions related to recycling and biodegradability.
As an education and outreach partner, AtWork! had a table of information about recycling and employment services for people with disabilities. About 145 area residents attended who are committed to environmental causes and eager to learn about important sustainability topics.
Kevin Malin, Recycling Center Crew Supervisor, Christy Teel, Project Manager for Manufacturing, Assembly & Recycling, and Dennis Wajda, Lead Employment Consultant, were on hand to help the public learn about AtWork!'s Recycle Center on Juniper Street in Issaquah, and provide information about AtWork!'s employment services for people with disabilities.
These free community events are open to all residents and are meant to educate and inform residents about timely environmental and sustainability topics. They are funded in part by a grant from the King County Local Hazardous Waste Management Program and are meant to help educate residents and to foster and facilitate behavior change.
Our Own Bob Nissley Wins Governor’s Award
Bob Nissley
Each year the Washington State Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment and the Washington State Business Leadership Network coordinate the Governor’s Employer Awards Program, recognizing public, private and non-profit employers for their efforts to recruit, hire, and promote individuals with disabilities. On October 9th, Bob Nissley won the Governor’s Trophy in Memory of Carolyn Blair Brown, awarded to an individual who has significantly enhanced the empowerment of people with disabilities through employment, public service, advocacy, and other avenues. Mr. Nissley is a person with quadriplegia, the result of a gymnastics accident when he was 17. With the help and support of family, friends and the Issaquah community, he became a career volunteer and activist for accessibility and disability issues. He worked with the City of Issaquah to develop an accessibility plan for the downtown area; he served on a Metro Transit advisory committee to help plan accessible transit; and for 32 years he has volunteered with AtWork!, first as the Payroll Accountant and Production Manager and most recently as Director of Computer Services. He also served a number of years on the board of directors.
L-R: June Willard; Chris Brandt, AtWork! CEO; Jerry Nissley; and Ray Nissley, accepting the award on Mr. Nissley’s behalf.
In accepting the award, Mr. Nissley said, “When I first learned that I was being nominated by AtWork! ... I felt immediately that I was already a winner where it was most important to me, that was in the eyes of the people who are committed to keeping the heart of AtWork! beating strong and loud in the communities we serve and in the lives of the individuals and families we serve.”
AtWork! was also pleased to nominate Costco Wholesale, Inc., for the Private Employer award for large companies with more than 250 employees.
Costco Wholesale is a company that values diversity. They look to hire the best person for the position and value the diversity that all employees bring to the workplace. The company began hiring persons with disabilities served by AtWork! in 1999, when Rory was hired for their headquarters recycle team. Jennifer followed right behind, and now the team numbers four. All receive full benefits as Costco employees. AtWork! heard from employment programs across the state that have found success in connecting persons with disabilities who are looking for a job with Costco Warehouse Stores. People with disabilities hired by Costco have been hired because they are a great fit for the position. The company fosters a family atmosphere in which employees thrive and succeed. Open communication has kept the working relationship exciting and viable. Costco is a role model for other large corporations.
Volunteers donate bountiful harvest to local food bank
September 29, 2009
By Warren Kagarise
Volunteers have harvested more than 300 pounds of organic peppers, squash and tomatoes for the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank, and volunteers said the center can expect more bounty as summer comes to a close. Organizers said the community garden attracted unprecedented support from gardeners and volunteers.
Bellevue Group Helps Disabled People Find Jobs
"At Work!" pairs those with disabilities with jobs in the community‑based on unique skills.
Dana Rebik, Web Reporter
August 27, 2009
BELLEVUE — With the state of the economy, it's tough for anyone to find a job. But imagine if you were also dealing with a disability. A Bellevue non-profit group, "At Work!" is helping bridge the gap, by pairing up disabled clients with rewarding jobs in the Seattle area.
Q13 Fox News This Morning, August 27, 2009
AtWork! Hawaiian Summer Barbecue
Bingo was the most popular game at AtWork!’s summer event on August 21st. After verifying numbers to be sure bingos were real, there was great excitement when prizes were awarded. The weather could not have been more perfect — sunshine and a soft summer breeze put everyone in a party mood. Chris Brandt and Bob Strayhan fired up the grill; we ate hot dogs and hamburgers and enjoyed the delicious food donated by volunteers and the community.
Special thanks go to Fischer Meats, Costco Wholesale, Franz Bakeries, and Tim’s Cascade Chips for their donations. Salads and desserts were brought by Charlotte Trenner, Rita Cromwell, Bob Lambert, Mrs. Sutton, Ray Lepp, the Padilla Family, the Wills Family and Wendy Randall. Teresa Lewis, Patti Inge and Janice Weiberg dropped by to lend a hand. Thank you to all who helped to make this summer event so memorable. So many came to help we kind of lost track. We do want you to know that you were appreciated, if we didn’t catch your name.
Click here for Summer Barbecue photos.
AtWork! Receives Grant from Boeing Employees
AtWork! is grateful to the Employees Community Fund of the Boeing Company Puget Sound for their support. Word was received on August 13th that AtWork! has been awarded $22,500 to use towards the purchase, licensing and branding of a gently used box truck. The truck will be used in AtWork!’s commercial enterprises to increase services offered to customers.
The recycle center and production shop will use the truck to offer pick-up service for large quantities of documents to be shredded and large quantities of electronics for the E-Cycle Washington Program. The production and assembly shop will now be able to offer pick-up service of bulk products and delivery service of finished product. This opportunity gives AtWork! the capacity to expand operations and provide even more programs for people with disabilities as they pursue jobs in the community.
Join AtWork! in expressing your appreciation for their generous support by sending your thanks to the ECF Administrator, Collette Ogle.
AtWork! Launches Blog & Online Newsletter
Take a look to the right on this page. In the upper right hand corner is a link to our new blog. The first posting was July 10, 2009, and we plan to update the blog twice a week with opinions, links to websites with resources, and information for employers and for job seekers. To subscribe to the blog in your newsreader, click here. To subscribe to the blog by email, click here.
In August, AtWork! will launch its first online newsletter. Published monthly it will be short, newsy and full of updates about people who have jobs, who volunteer and who have found a pathway to employment in the community.
We’ll tell you about new developments in our Commercial Enterprises and in the Community Garden. You’ll find links to resources, and we’ll also send you announcements of upcoming events and information about special schedule changes. Learn about how AtWork! is working with organizations all across the state to improve employment services for everyone.
Each issue will come to you by email. In August, you will be able to come to this website and click on the link on the left side of each AtWork! web page (just under the Donate button) to join our mailing list and receive the newsletter. That will take you to a short sign-up page where you enter your email address.
Watch your email for our first newsletter, coming soon!
Community garden produces for food bank
By Jake Lynch, Issaquah Reporter Editor
Jul 23 2009, 12:40 PM
The labors of those involved in the Issaquah Flatlands Community Garden are starting to bear fruit, in more ways than one.
Begun by Sustainable Issaquah and AtWork! as a way to increase the participation of locals in their food networks and improve awareness of the social and economic benefits of gardening, the garden also had the goal of contributing to food banks and providing fresh fruit and vegetables to those in need.
Community garden nears completion
May 26, 2009—Issaquah Press
By David Hayes
50 volunteers turn out to help
Sustainable Issaquah had the idea. AtWork! had the land. At an April 22 work party, all interested constituents came together to map out plans to develop a new community garden.
Sustainable Issaquah, a new community group that champions ecofriendly projects, had decided a community garden would be one of its projects.
Grand Opening of the Hallock Building
Bellevue’s Deputy Mayor Claudia Balducci (l), and Leslie Hallock cut the ribbon, opening AtWork!’s remodeled building at the dedication event for the Hallock Building. Bob Strayhan (r), Chair of the Board of Directors, served as emcee.
It’s amazing what can be done with a 30 year old building! With the generous support of the Hallock Family, AtWork! remodeled the old Custom Industries building on Bel-Red Road in Bellevue from a workshop to offices and training facilities. With a new address and a new face lift, AtWork! dedicated the Hallock Building on April 23rd.
Over 200 friends of AtWork! assembled under sunny skies to celebrate. Bob Strayhan, Chair of AtWork!’s Board of Directors, dedicated the building, and Russ Keithly, Chair of AtWork!’s Facilities Committee, thanked the contractors and volunteers who contributed to the successful completion of the project. Deputy Mayor Claudia Balducci, representing the City of Bellevue, and Leslie Hallock, representing the Hallock Family, did the honors by cutting the ribbon, welcoming everyone present.
Chris Brandt, AtWork! CEO, also took the opportunity to dedicate the building conference room to long-time volunteer Bob Nissley, who was instrumental in the establishment of Community Enterprises of Issaquah, one of the founding organizations of AtWork!. The staff resource room was dedicated to Charlotte Trenner who has volunteered as front desk receptionist in Issaquah for over 10 years, and the client resource room in memory of Chelsea Howe, a staff member who passed away in 2008.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT.
Plans for Issaquah community garden in full swing
By Katie Regan, Issaquah Reporter Staff
April 14, 2009
Something new will be sprouting in Issaquah come June.
The unused land at the AtWork! site on Northwest Juniper Street will soon be home to organically-grown vegetables and flowers, thanks to about 15 people who met Wednesday, April 8 to pull together plans for a community garden.
Breakfast Fundraising Event Sets New Record!
We did it! Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and our guests, AtWork! raised a total of $155,786 at our 3rd annual fundraising breakfast on April 2nd, the highest total ever.
Most importantly the contributions of our guests were doubled. Ray Mahan, President of Scan Design Furniture, announced a $60,000 challenge grant from the Scan Design Foundation.
Because over $60,000 was raised from donations, meeting the challenge, the Foundation contributed an additional $60,000. Our heartfelt thanks to the Scan Design Foundation Board of Trustees for providing this inspirational matching grant.
We want to especially thank our presenting sponsors, Langly Properties and Costco Wholesale, for their support and belief in the work we do.
We were thrilled to welcome 325 friends and supporters of AtWork! to the event, another record. Each year more and more of our guests learn about AtWork! and hear the stories of spirit and courage from our clients.
AtWork! Donates Land for Community Garden
AtWork! has donated land next to it's NW Juniper Street building in Issaquah for a Community Garden. CEO, Chris Brandt, a member of the Sustainable Issaquah Committee, said, “AtWork! looks forward to working closely with Sustainable Issaquah in this venture. We expect to cultivate a plot within the garden and use this opportunity to help our clients learn about gardening and interact with members of the public.”
Anyone interested in getting involved in the Community Garden at the AtWork! Issaquah site should attend an information meeting at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 8, at AtWork!, 690 NW Juniper Street.
To read more on a Sustainable Issaquah, click here.
