Contributed by Jennifer O’Neil, Dynamic Partners

Dynamic Partners Wins $20,000 Zino Society Award for Social Innovation

Kent, Washington – October 6, 2011 – Through a grueling elimination process, Dynamic Partners, emerged as one of

the top two nonprofit finalists competing in the first annual Social Innovation Fast Pitch presented by Social Venture Partners on October 3, 2011 at Fisher Pavilion in Seattle. Dynamic Partners was awarded the $20,000 Zino Society Award for Social Innovation for their Dynamic Labs project. “We feel privileged to have been a part of this inaugural event and incredibly honored to receive such an award,” Jon Botten, the CEO of Dynamic Partners.

“Dynamic Labs exemplifies the core values of the Social Innovation Fast Pitch program through exceptional societal impact, innovation, sustainability and leadership,” said Will Poole, SVP Lead Partner and Social Innovation Fast Pitch organizer. “The ZINO Society Award for Social Innovation represents our community’s enthusiastic support of Dynamic Lab’s vision and work in developing breakthrough solutions for individuals with special needs.”

The 2011 Social Innovation Fast Pitch competition began in August with over 120 applicants. Forty organizations were chosen to compete in the quarter finals with twenty advancing to the semi finals. Of those semi-finalists, Dynamic Partners was chosen as one of seven nonprofits to pitch their projects onstage to an audience of 700 at Monday’s Fast Pitch final event at Fisher Pavilion in Seattle.

Jon explains the purpose behind Dynamic Labs. “By creating Dynamic Labs, we are making an organizational commitment to innovation. We recently went through an intense organizational review as part of a marketing and branding project with an outside consultant. This project brought to light the fact that innovation is a key characteristic of our organization and staff. This drive stems from our commitment to do whatever it takes to help children with special needs reach their full potential. Until now, we did not have a dedicated space for staff, families, and community members to test, vet, and trial innovative products, services and funding models. Consequently, we missed opportunities. We’ve now made a commitment to make innovation a priority via Dynamic Labs.”

“Through a process of systematic innovation, we will gather ideas from a wide variety of constituents including staff, families, referral sources and community members. Then, we will vet those ideas for impact and sustainability. Once something has proven itself inside the lab, we will spin it off into its own social enterprise. Like all of our products and services, Lab ventures are intended to help children with special needs reach their full potential.”

Dynamic Partners is consortium of organizations empowering children with special needs through innovation and collaboration headquartered in Kent, Washington. Our Dynamic Partners include Children’s Therapy Center, South King Early Intervention Program, Dynamic Orthotic Systems, SPIO Compression Garments, Dynamic Labs, and Dynamic Family Services. Member organizations have been providing therapy services for children with special needs in South King and Pierce County since 1979. We currently have locations in Kent, SeaTac and Tacoma.

To learn more about our Dynamic Labs project, make an investment, volunteer your expertise, or present an idea, please contact Jon Botten, CEO at jon@dynamicpartners.org. To learn more about SVP’s Social Innovation Fast Pitch, visit www.sifp.net.

The Morford Family Carousel needs volunteers for shifts throughout the holiday season. Located in Town Square Plaza (2nd and Harrison Streets) in downtown Kent, the carousel is open throughout the holiday season for local children and families to enjoy.

Suggested donations are $1 per ride, and proceeds benefit two local organizations:  Kentwood High School National Honor Society and Children’s Therapy Center via South King County Autism Support Group for Parents.

Carousel volunteers are needed for the following. If you or your organization can help, please contact Angel Townsend at 206-330-4264 or via email.

Carousel Volunteers Needed on…

* Friday, December 17th – 4pm-6:30pm

* Saturday, December 18th – 3pm-6pm and 6pm-8pm

* Sunday, December 19th – 2:30-5pm

* Tuesday, December 21st, 1pm-5pm and 6pm-8pm

* Wednesday,Thursday,Friday, December, 22nd, 23rd, 24th – 1pm-5pm

* Friday, December 31st – 1pm-5pm

It’s easy, it’s fun and it will warm your heart to be a part of the effort!

Updated Nov. 3, 2010, 8:29 p.m.–The City of Kent announced today that the Morford Family Carousel will open this year on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. On Friday, November 26 from 4 to 9pm, the carousel will kick off its fifth holiday season. It will be located at Town Square Plaza at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Harrison Streets, across the street from the Kent Library.

After opening day, the Morford Family Carousel’s hours will be:

Friday:  4 – 8 p.m.
Saturday:  12 – 8 p.m.
Sunday:  12 – 5 p.m.

In addition, there will be Bonus Days during the holiday break from school. The carousel will be open Dec. 20-24 from 1 to 5 pm and December 31 from 1 to 5 pm. The carousel can also be booked for private parties Monday through Thursday. Arrangements for private bookings can be made by contacting the SKC Autisum Support Group via email.  [Notes:  Hours are subject to change due to the weather.]

In addition, the City is planning special musical performances and holiday surprises to draw families to downtown Kent during the holiday season. Once again, the City of Kent is partnering with local nonprofits to operate the carousel as a fundraiser.

This holiday season the nonprofits working the carousel are the Kentwood National Honor Society and the South King County Autism Support Group, with the group’s proceeds going to Children’s Therapy Center. Suggested donations are $1 per ride and will go to the nonprofits to support their respective missions and programs.

For more information, call 253-856-5110 or visit the City of Kent website.

Ride to Make a Difference – Kent A.M. Kiwanis teams up with Children’s Therapy Center and Pat’s Bar & Grill on August 1 to do their 5th Annual Kick Start For Kids, a benefit motorcycle ride.

{Download the flyer here}

The rain-or-shine ride starts at 10:30 am at Children’s Therapy Center in Kent (sign up starts at 9:30 am), goes on a leisurely, unescorted ride to Snoqualmie Falls, and ends at Pat’s Bar & Grill, 114 Railroad Ave. N. in downtown Kent.

The ride will take place rain or shine and the event benefits Children’s Therapy Center to help provide scholarships to families whose children need therapy services to help them reach their full potential.

Cost:  $35 at the door + $15 for additional passengers or spouses

Coffee and light snacks will be provided before the ride and riders will receive a commemorative pin. The ride will finish with a celebration at Pat’s Bar & Grill.

For more info., call 253-854-5660 or email kentamkiwanis@gmail.com!

Open to all motorcycle riders 18 years and older with valid endorsement.

At its annual awards luncheon yesterday at Golden Steer, Soroptimist International of Kent presented its community service awards. With 45 or so guests in attendance at the luncheon, including Mayor Suzette Cooke and Kent City Council President Jamie (Danielson) Perry, the following individuals and organizations were honored for their work in improving the lives of women and girls in the Kent community:

• Volunteer of the Month:  Kenyanna Brown, Kent Phoenix Academy
• Children’s Therapy Center/Dynamic Family Services
• Domestic Abuse Women’s Network (DAWN)
• Kent Youth and Family Services
• SKCAC Industries
• Master Gardener Foundation, Tribal Life Trail

Jon Botten, executive director of Children’s Therapy Center, accepted the award on behalf of his organization by reading a letter from MacKenzie, a recent graduate who utilized the center’s services for many years.

“Children’s Therapy Center gave me hope when there wasn’t any,” she writes.

Mike Heinisch, executive director for Kent Youth & Family Services, accepted the award for KYFS’s Watson Manor, a transitional housing program for homeless teen mothers.

“These mothers don’t have a place to call home – home is where our root is, our security and shelter,” Heinisch says.

Each of the honorees also received a donation from the Soroptimists to help them to continue their work. For more information about the local Soroptimist group, visit them online at www.soroptimistnwr.com.

May 20 Update–Event postponed until October. Stay tuned for  more details!

Battle of the Chefs:  May 23, 11 am to 6 pm

Healthy cooking does not have to be boring!

The Healthy Edge and All About Hope are teaming up to bring health & fitness and cooking fans together to witness Battle of the Chefs, a live cooking competition that challenges local chefs to cook up tasty, healthy dishes without table salt, butter or cream. See if they can accomplish it from 11 am to 6 pm at the ShoWare Center in Kent.

Tickets start at $15/each and, at the buyer’s discretion, $5 of the ticket price can be allocated to a participating nonprofit organizations like the Children’s Therapy Center, Kent Youth & Family Services, National MS Society and more. Click here to buy tickets online now.

"Fun for Funds" Organizers; L-R: Patrice Briggs, Barbara Frazier, Jennifer O'Neal and Lois Maier

Last Saturday, Children’s Therapy Center held its 22nd annual fundraiser dinner auction at Emerald Downs. Titled “Fun for Funds,” the popular event drew 420 guests, raising net income of $136,500.

Emceed by Kent Station general manager John Hinds, guests to the event donned glamorous derbies and were encouraged to bid on dozens of items that were donated for the silent auction, as well as to participate in the live auction  which included a martini party, a Mariners game package, a sailing trip for 4 on the Puget Sound, a romantic getaway at The Edgewater in Seattle, a 10-day cruise, Kent Station shopping spree and more! Keith Robbins served as the evening’s auctioneer.

In addition, tables of guests bid for the right to choose their dessert first during the Dessert Dash. With designated runners lining up along the wall, the table that raised the most selected its dessert from among dozens of decadent choices including chocolate-covered strawberries, a horseshoe cake, a rectangular chocolate cake covered in white and milk chocolate chips, a peanut butter mousse pie covered with chocolate ganache, a towering chocolate cake from Claim Jumper, and more! This portion of the evening alone raised more than $9,400.

Following the catered dinner, CTC board member Ryan Van Quill and his son Jackson, a former client of CTC, thanked the guests for participating in the fun fundraiser and for helping kids like Jackson who have benefited from CTC services and support. Immediately following their presentation, guests donated $33,000 in cash to support scholarships for CTC services!

Thanks to the event’s sponsors, the entire net profit of $136,500 will go directly into programs that benefit CTC’s clients, kids from birth to age 21. Sponsors include Kent Station (premier-plus), Belfor USA (premier), Quota International of Kent Valley, Waste Management, Univar USA, Cascade DAFO, Emerald Downs, The Resource Group, Rock Wood Fired Pizza, Brantley Janson Yost & Ellison CPAs, Charter Bank, Hunt Family, Kent Firefighter’s Foundation, Live Oak Audio Visual, Creative Office, Curran Law Firm, Emerald Paving Inc., FamilyCare of Kent, Fockler Family, Laser Underground & Utilities, Mountain Construction/Hentschell & Associates Inc., Sprague Israel Giles Insurance, United Way of King County and Wesley Homes.

“I am truly thankful for everyone who helped make this the most successful auction in our 22 years of hosting the Fun for Funds Dinner Auction.” — Lois Maier, Development Director for Dynamic Families

Children’s Therapy Center was founded in 1979 to provide quality therapy services to children from birth to age 21. CTC clients experience a variety of developmental delays and disabilities including cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders, Down Syndrome, torticollis, speech and language disorders, brachial plexus injuries, feeding disorders, sensory processing difficulties, autism and dyspraxia.

Children’s Therapy Center is a part of a consortium formed under the umbrella of Dynamic Families. Other partners include South King Early Intervention Program (SKIP), Dynamic Orthotic Systems (DOS) and Stabilizing Pressure Input Orthosis (SPIO).

Guests gather to bid on silent auction items.

Guests line up to sample Mint Juleps @ Emerald Downs!

The Children’s Therapy Center of Kent is holding their 22nd Annual Dinner Auction, “Hats Off to Kids, a Day at the Derby”, to benefit children with special needs. The event will be held on
March 27, 2010 from 6 – 10pm at Emerald Downs in Auburn.   They are asking that attendees join in the festivities by wearing your favorite Kentucky Derby style hat.

The Children’s Therapy Center of Kent provides children with special needs and their families with services to enhance their development.  The mission is to maximize the potential of children with disabilities by providing individualized, family-centered intervention services.  Our ultimate goal is to give children functional skills that will help them today while decreasing their need for future services.

For more information or to register visit, http://www.dynamicfamilies.org/Page.aspx?hid=459.